He's A Rebel
by GoldenSunsets.MidnightSkies
Summary: Greasers are white trash with long hair, vocabulary that can make a sailor blush and friends who stick with you no matter what. Crystal knows this as a fact but she's never had a chance to tell her part of the story. Discontinued. May rewrite, but nowhere in the near future.
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: All characters besides Crystal and her family belong to S.E. Hinton. Some characters from her other books, _That Was Then, This Is Now_ and _Tex _are mentioned in here. Minor roles, but still mentioned. NOTE THAT ACTUAL EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK AND MOVIE HAVE BEEN USED. Otherwise please enjoy, and all reviews welcomed. Also, title is taken from The Crystals' song _He's a Rebel_ _._**

I sat by the living room window, watching my parents unload the boxes from the small moving van. Our new house, an actual house, was modest, but better than living in a small apartment in Los Angeles in a bad area, and was one of the better ones in the neighborhood. It was two stories tall, a small brick house, with three small bedrooms, a bathroom and a half, kitchen, living room, a small front yard and something that just passes as a backyard. If a small, fenced off place full of dead grass and weeds counts as a yard.

My mother came into the house, carrying two boxes, and set them down, wiping her forehead. She was beautiful, my mother, she could try for modeling if she wanted to. Short, wavy, strawberry blonde hair, shinning sky blue eyes and always dressed in nice, clean dresses. No matter how bad our situation was, she was always nicely dressed, almost rivaling the women in Beverly Hills. She was kind, open to everyone, able to find the good in every soul no matter how bad.

I went over to her, clutching my toy Corvette and tugged on her dress. "Mommy, can I go out? There's nothing to do here."

"I don't know honey... We don't really know the neighbor-"

"Let Crystal go out and explore, nothing is going to happen to her. It's a tight knit neighborhood here."

My father, half English, half German, was a tall, well built man who lived in Nazi Germany and fought for them under threat of death, came in and took me into his arms. Despite the frightening childhood he had lived, he had a heart of gold. His figure was threatening, but once you got to know him he was one of the kindest men you'll have ever met. Sometimes though he would have moments when he would go back to his memories and throw the worst fits ever. But he was my father, and I loved him.

"Just don't go more than a block away, okay Princess?" He said, setting me down.

"Okay Daddy!"

I went out of the house and into the hot, end of summer Tulsa sun, taking my shiny, red toy and skipping out into the street. Kids only a few years older were sitting on their front porches with friends or older siblings; teenagers were mock fighting or playing football in their yards, and couples sat under the shade of trees, cuddling or more.

At the end of the block and the other side of the street, three boys were playing in their front yard. Looking both ways, I ran across the street and set my hand on the chain link fence, watching them. Two of them were older than me, and were tossing a football to each other, laughing. The third looked about my age, maybe younger, and was playing with a few toy cars and trucks, making sound effects.

It was a few minutes before any of them noticed me, and it was the youngest who saw me first. He stood up uneasily, and toddled over to me, setting his hand over mine. He had light brown, almost red hair, green-grey eyes, and was wearing a blue Superman t-shirt with faded blue jeans.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm Ponyboy Curtis, what's your name?"

"Crystal Kantor, I just moved here from Los Angeles. I really like your name. And your t-shirt. Superman is cool."

He grinned, running a hand through his hair.

"I like your name too, it's real pretty. People usually think my name is weird. They say that about my brother Sodapop too."

"What about me?" The second oldest came over, and I couldn't help thinking of how awfully pretty he was, movie star handsome I guess. The kind of handsome that would have all the scouts in Hollywood fighting for him. He had long, straight dark gold hair and shinning dark brown eyes that were dancing with happiness in the late summer sun. He was just the type of boy you would expect to see in places like Orange County or Beverly Hills, not in a low class neighborhood like the one I had lived in. "Hey, I never seen you around here before."

"I just moved here. I'm Crystal."

"Is that a Corvette?" He asks, pointing to my toy. "But you're a girl!"

"Girls can do anything boys can!"

"Soda, you don't just go tellin' people that! Who cares if she plays with cars? Corvettes are tuff anyway. I'm Darrel by the way, but you can call me Darry. Want to play with us?" The oldest joined his brothers, smiling at me. He had kind of long, dark brown hair, and pale blue-green eyes, glittering like the ocean water at Laguna Beach in springtime. He had a pretty good build for someone his age, and from what I saw when he was playing with the football with Soda, he seemed to use it to his advantage.

But the way he said tough didn't sound right to me, and I tilted my head, holding tightly to my toy.

"What does tough mean?"

"Oh, in our neighborhood, there's tough and tuff, spelled T-U-F-F. It means cool, just like your car. So do you want to play?"

I nodded, smiling, and he reached up to open the gate for me.

We played for about an hour under the hot sun, until the boys' mother comes out with cookies and milk. She was almost the exact image of Soda, with a warm smile and a slim figure. She seemed delighted to meet me, and asked me a lot of questions of what it was like to live in Los Angeles. I felt happy there, talking with Patricia and playing with Pony, until I heard my parents and brother desperately calling out my name.

"Crystal darling, did you tell your parents where you went?" Patricia asked. In response I ran out of the house, leaving behind my car.

"Mommy, Mommy I'm right here!" I jumped into her arms and she hugs me tightly, her breathing ragged, and I can tell that she was close to tears.

"Honey, don't ever, ever go off that long without telling us where you are!"

"I'm sorry Mommy, but I was just having so much fun with Darry and Soda and Pony!"

At that moment Patricia and the boys came out, Ponyboy holding my car. "I'm so sorry, I should have gone over to your house to introduce myself and tell you that Crystal was safe. I'm Patricia Curtis by the way, and these are my boys Darry, Sodapop and Ponyboy." Soda and Pony were hiding behind their mother's skirts, looking intimidated by my father, and Darry and Michael were looking at each other, the latter frowning slightly. Dad laughed, wrapping an arm around my mother's waist.

"It's okay. I'm Frank Kantor, my wife Natalie and my son Michael." He stuck out his hand and Patricia shook it, smiling. She asked if we wanted to come inside, and my parents responded positively. Mom set me down, kissing my cheek, while Dad pat my head, and followed Patricia, Darry and Michael into the small house while Soda, Pony and I hung outside. Pony handed me back the Corvette, and I took it back, grinning.

"Shucks, you and your parents sure look close," Soda says, looking at the retreating figures

"Yeah, I love them more than anyone in the whole world."

"Kinda like how I love Mom and Dad and Darry and Pony." He said, wrapping an arm around his brother's shoulders.


	2. Chapter One

I was lying on my bed, trying to ignore the heat and reading_ Alice in Wonderland_, when I heard the screams through my open window. I didn't need to hear him calling out any names to know who it is, and I threw on a t-shirt that was lying on the floor, running down the stairs.

"Ponyboy!"

I burst through the front door, wincing as the sun hit me, but continued running to the source of noise. From the corner of my eye I saw Two-Bit jump over his house's fence, nodding over to me. I was panting by the time I saw the group of Socs, punching and kicking a huddled figure. I yelled at them, and noticed the two other Curtis brothers' figures pushing them away. The rest of the gang rushed over as the Socs begin to leave, chasing them to their car. I shoved one of the Socs over, who snarled at me but smirked widely as he saw that I wasn't a guy.

"You're a nasty greaser girl, don't even try to beat me," he growled, punching me in the gut.

"Watch who you're calling a grease you asshole!" Dallas yelled, punching him in the nose. The Soc fell over, clutching his face and glaring at Dally.

"You little-"

"Chris, get in the fucking car!" His friends screamed. Dally aimed a kick to the Soc's gut and he groaned, but got up, running over to the car which the rest of the gang was trying to prevent from taking off. The Socs drove away, and the boys heaved rocks and sticks at them, yelling, before running towards us-Four lean, hard guys, all tough as nails and who damn well looked it. I grew up with them, so they accepted me without any question, despite the fact that I was a girl. It was harder for Dallas to do so when he came back from New York, but he accepted me too.

Dallas Winston is probably the real character of the gang. He had a slender face, high cheekbones and was always wearing a smirk or a cold hard look, with dark brown eyes filled with hatred of the whole world and dark hair. He hated hair grease, but just one look told you who he was. He was tall and lanky; strong. Dally had spent three years on the wild side of New York and had been arrested at the age of ten. He was tougher than the rest of us—tougher, colder, meaner. The shade of difference that separates a greaser from a hood wasn't present in Dally. He was as wild as the boys in the downtown outfits, like Tim Shepard's gang.

In New York, Dally blew off steam in gang fights, but here, organized gangs are rarities—there are just small bunches of friends who stick together, and the warfare is between the social classes. A rumble, when it's called, is usually born of a grudge fight, and the opponents just happen to bring their friends along. Oh, there are a few named gangs around, like the River Kings and the Tiber Street Tigers, but here in the Southwest there's no gang rivalry. So Dally, even though he could get into a good fight sometimes, had no specific thing to hate. No rival gang. Only Socs. And you can't win against them no matter how hard you try, because they've got all the breaks and even whipping them isn't going to change that fact. Maybe that was why Dallas was so bitter.

He had quite a reputation. They have a file on him down at the police station. He had been arrested, he got drunk, he rode in rodeos, lied, cheated, stole, rolled drunks, jumped small kids—he did everything. He was hard to like, but hard not to respect. Everyone respected Dallas Winston.

"You okay Cryst?" He asked softly, offering me a hand. I took it, nodding, and looked over to Pony, who looked like he was about to bawl. Soda and Darry were crouched down besides him, and Soda wrapped an arm around his younger brother.

"Easy Pony, they ain't gonna hurt you no more."

"I know," he said, and tears spilled from the corner of his eyes. He brushed them away impatiently. "I'm just a little spooked, that's all." He drew a quivering breath and quit crying.

"You're an okay kid Pony," Soda said, rubbing Pony's hair.

Soda sure grew into a handsome guy since we met. In fact, I can't even really say the word handsome, pretty is more like it. Pony describes him as movie-star kind of handsome, the kind people stop on the street to watch go by, and I sure can't disagree with that. He isn't as tall as Darry, and he's a little slimmer, but he's got a finely drawn, sensitive face that somehow manages to be reckless and thoughtful at the same time. His red-gold hair has grown out, and he combs it back-long and silky and straight-, and in the summer the sun bleaches it to a shinning wheat-gold. His dark brown eyes are lively, dancing, recklessly laughing eyes that can be gentle and sympathetic one moment and blazing with anger the next. He's got his dad's eyes, but Soda is one of a kind. He can get drunk in a drag race or dancing without ever getting near alcohol. In our neighborhood it's rare to find a kid who doesn't drink once in a while. Soda and I must be the only two kids who don't drink it: me because the first mouthful I ever had caused me to puke up everything in my stomach and Soda… Soda never touches a drop-he doesn't need to. He gets drunk on just plain living. And he understands everyone.

I grinned at the brothers, admiring how protective Soda was of his younger brother, and Pony smiled despite himself. "You're crazy Soda, out of your mind." I leaned against a beat up Chevrolet Impala that was resting on cinderblocks, stifling a laugh at Darry's expression, which looked like he wanted to knock his brothers' heads together.

"You're both nuts."

Soda merely cocked an eyebrow, a trick he'd picked up from Two-Bit. "It seems to run in the family."

The brothers started to make their way back to the Curtis house, and the rest of us followed them. Darry was lecturing Pony, an angry look on his face, and his green blue eyes were blazing. Darry changed a lot too, since that day eleven years ago. He's six-foot two, and broad shouldered and muscular. He's got dark brown hair that kicks out in front and a slight cowlick in the back-just like their dad's- but his eyes are his own. His pale blue-green eyes now have a determined set to them, just like the rest of him. He looked older than twenty-tough, cool and smart. He can be real handsome if his eyes aren't so cold. He doesn't understand anything that is not plain hard fact. But he uses his head.

"Man, walking by yourself, you never think!"

"All I did was walk home from the movies…" Pony said softly, and I could sense a twinge of regret in his warm voice.

"Movies and books… Movies and books…" Darry shaked his head. "Ya know, I wish you could concentrate on something else every once in a while!"

"Why don't you concentrate on girls and cars? Works for me!" Soda laughed, bouncing around his brothers and trying to lessen the tension.

"Look, if you had to go by yourself, you should have carried a blade," Darry said, trying a different angle.

"Yeah, and that would have been excuse for the Socs to cut his neck a little more there," Soda interrupted, pointing to Pony and looking a bit mad.

I figured that this has become more of a personal discussion and fell back, going to Dally who was leaning against a broken down car, smoking a cigarette.

"Are you okay?" He asked again, blowing out the smoke.

"Goddamn, lay it off will ya?" I said, kind of annoyed. "He just punched me, I've had a lot worse."

He rolled his eyes and stepped away from the car. "The kid okay?"

"I'm fine," Pony replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "What are you doing out of the cooler Dal?"

"Yeah, and what are you doing walking out on your lonesome on the street huh?" Steve Randle growled, walking up towards them.

"It's none of you business, smarty." Pony stated, looking annoyed.

"What do you mean it's none of my business, it is my business, look at me nose!" Steve showed the blood on his hand from wiping his nose, an angry expression on his face, and Soda tried to pull him away.

"It's huge."

"Smartass. He's smartass kid." Steve grumbled, shaking his head.

Steve Randle is seventeen, tall and lean, with thick greasy hair he keeps combed in complicated swirls. He's cocky, smart, and Soda's best buddy since grade school. Steve's specialty is cars. He can lift a hubcap quicker and more quietly than anyone in the neighborhood, but he also knows cars upside-down and backward, and he can drive anything on wheels. He and Soda work at the same gas station—Steve part time and Soda full time—and their station gets more customers than any other in town. Whether that's because Steve is so good with cars or because Soda attracts girls like honey draws flies, I can't tell you. Pony only likes Steve because he's Soda's best friend. We get along alright, but only because he knows that if he tries to pull some shit on me the rest of the gang is going to beat him up. Otherwise our relationship would probably be like his and Pony's.

"Hey Dally, how ya doin'?" Steve said, shaking Dally's hand.

"Doin' all right man." he replied, looking bored.

"Thought you were in for about ninety days, Dal..." Pony said.

"I got out early, man, good behavior, ya know?" Everyone nods. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turn around to saw Johnny Cade standing behind me. I smile as he gives me a brotherly hug

Johnny Cade is another guy in our gang. If you can picture a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers, you'll have Johnny. He's the youngest, next to Ponyboy and I, smaller than the rest, with a slight build. He has big black eyes in a dark tanned face; his hair is jet-black and heavily greased and combed to the side, but it's so long that it falls in shaggy bangs across his forehead. He has a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes, and the beating he got from the Socs doesn't help matters. He's the gang's pet, everyone's kid brother. His father is always beating him up, and his mother ignores him, except when she was hacked off at something, and then you can hear her yelling at him clear down at our house. I think he hates that worse than getting whipped. He would have run away a million times if we hadn't been there. If it hadn't been for the gang, Johnny would never have known what love and affection are.

"Hey Johnny, man..." Dally peered around everyone and saw Johnny and I. "How you doin' bro?" Johnny let me go and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jean jacket as we all start walking again.

"Things would go a lot better if the Socs stayed on the south side of town." Johnny said, glancing around him.

"Don't you worry about that, Johnny, cause we're gonna have it out with them sooner or later." Steve commented, wiping his hand on his jacket.

"We sure the hell are if they keep comin over to our side of town," Soda agreed

"Are they the same guys who got you?" Dally asked Johnny, a hard look in his eyes.

Johnny shook his head. "Nah, they were other guys."

"Now that I'm out," Dally started, "I'm gonna make it my business to get the guys that did that to your face," he pointed to the scar on Johnny's left cheek.

"What do you think about me becoming your personal bodyguard, huh, Ponyboy?" Two-Bit chuckled, punching Pony in the arm.

"Psh, I don't think it's too hot of an idea," Pony's eyebrows rose up his forehead, the hint of a smile on his face.

Two-Bit Mathews is the oldest of the gang, besides Darry, and the wisecracker of the bunch. He's about six feet tall, stocky in build, and very proud of his long rusty-colored sideburns. He has gray eyes and a wide grin, and he can't stop making funny remarks to save his life. You can't shut up that guy; he always has to get his two-bits worth in. Hence his name. Even his teachers forget his real name is Keith, and we hardly remember he has one. Life is one big joke to Two-Bit. He's famous for shoplifting and his black-handled switchblade (which he couldn't have acquired without his first talent), and he's always smarting off to the cops. He really can't help it. Everything he says is so irresistibly funny that he just has to let the police in on it to brighten up their dull lives. He likes fights, blondes, and for some unfathomable reason, school. He's still a junior at eighteen and a half and he never learns anything. He just goes for kicks. We have a bet going on of how long he's going to be there. I like him real well because he kept us laughing at ourselves as well as at other things. He reminds me of Will Rogers—maybe it was the grin.

The laughter died down after about a minute, and Steve spoke up, directing his words to Dally again.

"I was thinkin'... how about you and Sylvia come over to the game with us tomorrow night?"

"I wanna go!" Pony said, almost pleadingly.

"Oh, we're takin Evie and Sandy..." Soda said, his voice soft and somewhat guilty. Evie is Steve's girlfriend and Sandy is Soda's.

"Which means no kids allowed." Steve finished, snickering.

"Big deal..." Pony scoffs, trying not to look hurt.

"Aw, no, no, no, no, no. I'm gonna go hunt some action," Dally told them. "Little kids are allowed," he mocked, smiling.

"We'll go with ya, won't we Pony?" Johnny piped up.

"I don't know, Dal," Pony started. "I can't get in no trouble with the cops. Darry says the court will split us up for sure if I do."

"Hey, who's lookin' for police trouble, man? I just wanna go see a movie, like the good ol' days, right Johnny?" Dally said, and Johnny confirms, nodding.

"I was planning on putting down a couple six packs of Bud, but if I don't get too drunk, I'll come over and join ya'll." Two-Bit told them as we walked over to his car. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Steve doing a flip off the front of car. I rolled my eyes again. Show-off. "Hey, can you give me a push-start?" Two-Bit asked Johnny and Pony as he got in.

"Not really, but we will." Pony said the two boys went to the back of the car.

"Hey Cryst, wanna come with us?"

"Can't, I'm seeing Mark tomorrow night."

He inhaled more smoke than he wanted, coughing and turned to me, wearing a shocked expression "You're what?"

"I'm seeing Mark Jennings, that kid who lives over on Westwood with his friend Bryon. I don't see why this is such a big deal to you. You know him, right Pone?" I asked, punching him in the shoulder as he walked towards us.

"Yeah, we dig each other alright. Bryon is kind of a jerk though."

I made a 'live with it' expression to Dal, and hugged Pony and Johnnycakes, then went out the front gate with Dally following.

"I see you got your ring back Dal," Johnny said.

Dally closed the gate, leaning on it. "Yeah. Little broad was two-timin' me when I was in jail," he nods, a faraway look in his eyes. "See you guys later."

"See you Dal, Crystal." The guys called

"So you're seriously seeing this Mark guy?" Dally asked, blowing out the smoke as we made our way to my house.

"Why is this such a big deal to you?" I asked, irritated. "It's not like we're going out or anything!"

"Wait, you're going out with him?"

"Holy fuck, you are such a dipshit!" I slammed open the gate to my house, stomping up to the front door and into the house.

"Crystal, is that you?" My mom's soft voice called out.

"Yeah, hi." I don't think she heard me, but whatever. I went up to my room, slamming the door, and sat on my bed facing the window. The door opened, and I hear my mom and Dal's laughter.

He sat down next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, but I pushed it off. "I'm really sorry about making such a big deal about this."

I laughed coldly, not looking at him. "You should be."

I felt him shift slightly and smirked softly, knowing that he couldn't do anything to me, wouldn't do anything to me.

"How did he ask you?"

"He's friends with Ponyboy ya know? So I went to see Pony and Johnnycakes during lunch and he was with them and he just kinda asked me," I said, going to my window and leaning against the edge.

He mumbled something, and I looked at him, cocking an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"He's nearly a hood."

"The minor differences between a hood and a greaser are hardly distinguishable in you," I laughed, throwing my head back.

By the hard look in his dark brown eyes I knew I went too far, and in a matter of seconds he was up in my face, and I had my switchblade out, pressed on the underside of his chin.

"You lay a finger on me Wintson," I growled through my teeth, breathing hard. "And I will scream all the way to high heaven."

We glared at each other for a few seconds, and he was the one to break first, smirking. He gently lowered my hand that was holding the blade, placing the object on my nightstand. I looked at him with distrust as he placed both of his arms on either side of me, but it quickly turned to an embarrassed shock as he leaned his face towards mine.

"You didn't seem to mind much last week..."

I shifted uncomfortably, biting my lip. "Fuck you."

"I wouldn't mind..."

He swiftly grabbed me by the hips, sitting down on the bed so that I was on top of him, straddling him, and we were staring into each other's eyes, his dark chocolate brown eyes into my sky blue ones. I tilted my head slightly, and he took that as an invitation, leaning his head a few inches towards mine. I closed the gap, leaving only an inch between our lips, and could taste his breath, cigarettes with a slight peppermint taste. I smiled softly as he put his hand on my cheek, running his thumb over my lips.

"You're awfully pretty, you know that?"

"No I'm not..."

"Yes you are..."

Our lips were hardly touching when the door banged open, and I fell off Dallas in surprise.

"Just what the fuck is going on here?"

Michael was standing in the doorway, his sea green eyes flaming, with his friend Benjamin besides him. Both were smaller than Dallas, but still threatening, and with both of them they have a fair chance against him.

"Why does it matter to you?" I snarled, standing up and grabbing my blade. "You don't even give two shits about me!"

"You're my sister and I don't want you hanging with trash like that!" He shot back, pointing to Dally.

"He isn't trash!" I screamed. "And you stay right fucking there!" I turned around to Dal who was getting up, his eyes blazing with hatred. "Listen, it isn't any of your fucking business who I hang out with, and I know things about you th-"

He slapped me, sending me to the floor and I stared at him in shock. No one in my family has ever hit me. Ever. His already big eyes were wider and he stared at me and started to stutter.

"Cry-Crystal, I-"

"YOU BASTARD!" I pounced on him, sending both of us to the floor. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

I hit and punched every piece of him that I could get, screaming at him. Dally and Benjamin tried to pry me off him but I just screamed obscenities at them, and they backed off. He fought back, but weakly, and I could hear some more yelling in the background. A pair of strong arms wrapped itself around my waist, taking me off my brother, and I tried to break free to no avail.

"LET ME GO! I WANT TO KILL HIM!"

The person held me tight, and I saw my brother being held up by my mother and Ben. He was sporting a busted lip, bloody nose and the beginning of a black eye, but I felt no regret. I even wished that I could have hurt him more. I stopped my struggling, figuring that I couldn't get out of the grip, and the person let me go, turning me around to face them.

"Explain." A murderous look was in my father's normally soft blue eyes, and I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I've always been his little princess, he's never gotten mad at me...

I wiped my moist eyes impatiently, not wanting to bawl in front of all of them.

"Daddy..."

"It was my fault," Michael said, barely above a whisper. "I got mad at her and I slapped her."

Everyone was staring at him and I sniffed, biting my lip. Dally saw this and went over to me, enveloping me in a hug.

"Why did you slap Crystal?" Dad's voice was flat, but the anger behind was evident.

"I… She…" He fumbled for words, and then noticed me and Dal, his arms wrapped around me protectively. "Crystal and he were kissin'!"

I gasped, but Mom and Dad didn't blink an eye. They've made it clear to me that I can make my own decisions, as long as it didn't end up with me in jail. So if I kissed a teenage delinquent, they wouldn't protest.

"Your car keys."

A confused look passed through Michael's face and he tilted his head. "What?"

"You heard me. Your car keys. NOW! You're going to get your ass up and find yourself a job, you hear me? Slapping your sister… What the hell were you thinking?" Dad went off, muttering under his breath my mother following him. Michael looked after him with a look that I couldn't really read, then turned to me with a death glare.

"I hate you," he hissed, clenching his fists. "I honest to God, fucking hate you."

I wanted to say something, but his friend took him away, glaring at me. "Come on man, let's get you patched up."

Dally pulled me to my bedroom, and I sat down, staring at a point above the door frame, feeling the lump in my throat growing.

"I didn't know you could kick ass like that."

"Me neither." I whispered, digging my nails into the palm of my hand.

The silence during the next few minutes was really awkward, and eventually I lied facedown on my bed, hugging my pillow.

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked, running his fingers through my hair.

I nodded, feeling the tears building up and chocked back a sob.

"I'll see you soon then…"

The weight from my bed lifted, and I heard the door open, but it didn't close for about a minute. I turned over, looking out the window, and my grip around the pillow tightened as I broke down into sobs, thinking about Ponyboy getting jumped by the Socs; Darry and Soda both working to keep their family together; Johnny's parents beating him; Steve getting kicked out of his house every other week; Two-Bit's mother who worked at a dead end job to support her son and daughter and Dally who's always so cold to the rest of the world… I didn't see why he couldn't be as nice to everyone as he was to me when we were alone… And Michael hitting me…

I buried my face in my pillow, muffling my sobs. There has to be a place where there isn't all of this unfair social ranking, a place where everyone is nice and you aren't judged by the people you're friends with…

**Author's note: So this is kinda... Longish I suppose. The chapter before this was the prologue, back to when Crystal met the guys, just to make things clear :) Excerpts from the book (character descriptions) and movie (dialogues and all) were used, and I do not own them. Only time where I really use them in this. Sorry if this isn't top notch though.**


	3. Chapter Two

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have changed the title for content that will be in later chapters. Last chapter was mainly an introduction to the characters, this is a filler on Crystal's date, next chapter there shall be action :D Reviews are lovely, enjoy :)**

Michael had been ignoring me all day. Besides almost pushing me down the stairs and tripping me on my way from the bathroom, he didn't speak a word to me at all. Mom and Dad treated me real good and the guys came over in the morning, hearing what had happened when Dally went to the Curtis's house blitzed and had a yelling fit about what happened before storming out. He and Johnny and Pony came by on their way to the movies and I had just kicked them out, playfully dragging Ponyboy out by his feet as he begged for some more of my mom's brownies. And now I had barely more than an hour to prepare myself before Mark came over. Great.

I had chosen three outfits that were lying on my bed, and I was standing in front of my bed, deciding what to wear. Mark was probably only to take me on a joy ride on the Ribbon, a two mile stretch of road downtown with movie houses, restaurants, bars, clubs and crowds of high school and college students. Maybe he was going to drag; he just has way too much energy and can't resist a good drag race against the Socs.

The outfits, I hated to admit, made me look like a Soc, but my attitude and the way I walked made me a grease. I didn't want to look like total trash though; it was something that ran in my family: we took pride in our appearances despite the fact that we don't have much money.

I had chosen a light blue dress with short sleeves, with matching kind of lacey socks and heels as the first outfit, then a somewhat tight black tee-shirt that showed off my 'assets' as Two-Bit liked to joke, with black leather pants and black heels, and the last one was a simple white shirt with a white skirt and Mary Janes.

The doorbell rang and my heartbeat started racing. Already? He's already here?

"Crystal, Mark is here!" Mom yelled.

"No shit," I muttered, and then yelled back. "Give me a few minutes!"

I looked at the outfits again and groaned, then used 'eenie meenie miney moe' to chose one, and landed on the light blue dress. Quickly putting it on, I applied some blue eyeliner which complimenting both the outfit and my eyes, and roughly ran a brush through my air, putting it up in a ponytail with a matching ribbon and using hairspray so it wouldn't get messed up, then got some apple scented perfume that I sprayed on my neck and rubbed on my wrists.

With a final look in the mirror, I ran downstairs, almost falling down in my heels and beamed as I saw Mark. He brushed up his appearance for tonight, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans that didn't seam to be too worn out, with a pair of somewhat decent shoes that weren't too battered. Not that I really cared what he would have been wearing, but all guys that have taken me out always want to look clean cut, not wanting to get on my father's bad side.

He was talking to my parents in the living room, laughing with them as Michael sat on the armchair, arms crossed and eyes fixed on the news. Mark's eyes lit up when he saw me, and he got up, kissing my cheek.

"You look real pretty in that dress Crystal."

My cheeks flamed up, and I didn't need a mirror to know that I was blushing something fierce.

"Thanks, you don't look half bad yourself."

He smiled, holding me lightly around the waist, then turned to my parents. "I'll have her back before eleven, she told me y'all are visiting your folks over in Garyville and have to get up early."

"That's correct," Dad smiled, but his eyes turned hard. "You get my daughter in trouble with the cops, I'll personally make sure you'll never see the light of day again."

"Yes sir," Mark said with a laugh. "You don't have to worry one bit about that. I'll see you in a few hours then."

He shook hands with Dad, kissed Mom on both cheeks and nodded over to Michael, who pointedly ignored him, and led me out of the house as I waved bye to them.

In front of the house was a blue Cadillac and an uneasy feeling washed over me. Mark sensed this and squeezed my waist reassuringly. "Don't worry, the owner is on vacation so the cops won't be after us." He opened the door for me, and I sat myself down on the comfortable leather seats, hearing a smacking noise from behind me. My eyes shifted over to the rearview mirror and I saw the darkened figures of Bryon Douglas, Mark's best friend, and his girl Angela Shepard, Tim and Curly Shepard's sister. Angela and I dig each other alright, since her brothers side with us in rumbles against the Socs, but Bryon has this thing against me because I'm friends with Pony, and the former doesn't really like him. I nodded over to them as Mark got into the car.

"I'm sorry that they're with us," he whispered to me as he started the car. "They want to go see a movie... So I'm just gonna drop them off and then we can go somewhere fun." He wrapped an arm around me, kissing my cheek and I shoved him off, giggling, telling him to keep his hands on the wheel, but he kept his arm around me.

xXx

For once he didn't drive like a maniac, until we got to the Ribbon. He started to get twitchy as people asked him for drag races and cursed him off when he didn't, his knuckles turning white as he clenched the wheel.

To be honest, I couldn't have cared less if he wanted to drag; in fact, I love it when one of the guys, any of them, let me go in the car with them and all the windows are rolled down with the wind rushing in our faces and the screams of teenagers and rock'n'roll playing at the max in our ears. And our side loves to throw firecrackers at the Socs' cars and the colors and crackles just add to the excitement.

"Tuff lookin' car you got there man," the guy in the lane next to us called out. "You swiped it?"

"Yeah," Mark called back. "You swiped yours too?"

I looked over and saw a guy around seventeen, with long, heavily greased hair, hard dark eyes and a cold sneer, and a girl with a low cut top and too much makeup, looking Mark up and down with a glazed look, both sitting in a well kept Mustang that was obviously swiped.

"Wanna drag?" The guy asked, revving his engine. Mark took his arm off from around me; setting both hands on the wheel and clenched his jaw. "You too scared hood?" The guy laughed.

Mark growled and floored the gas as soon as the light turned green, lurching us all forward and making me thankful that I had a seatbelt. The gratefulness only lasted for a few seconds though, as the rush of adrenaline hit me and I started laughing, pumping my fist in the air. He zoomed ahead of the Mustang, smirking as he did so, and came to a stop in front of the Dingo, the tires screeching.

"Out you go kiddies," he said with a grin. "Now remember to be safe and use a condom if y'all ever do it."

Angela scowled, and Bryon hit his best friend through the open window. "That ain't funny man."

"Everything I say is always funny," he smirked.

xXx

Mark wrapped an arm around me, kissing the top of my head, and I laid my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. He was a womanizer, and nothing would ever happen between us, but I still had a really great time with him. He took me to dinner where we ran into a few friends from school, then dancing, which was really fun. Mark was a really good dancer, something that I didn't expect, and I smiled proudly when I saw the other girls look at me with envy.  
>He kissed my neck, going lower to my collarbone, and I opened my eyes, letting out a gasp.<p>

"Ma-Mark, I can't..."

He pulled away, looking at me with wide, pleading eyes, and I couldn't help but smile softly, but my tone was serious when I spoke.

"Mark, we both know that nothing is going to happen..."

"Yeah, but just for tonight..." He kissed my neck again, biting down gently, and I let out a soft moan, but my brain reacted quicker than my body.

"I really can't, I'm sorry... And it's nearly eleven anyway," I said softly, pulling away.

A look of disappointment crossed his face, but he quickly smiled, got out of the car and opened the door for me, then walked me to the front door.

"I had a really good time with you, I really did," I smiled. "Thanks for taking me out."

"Yeah, no problem." He kicked the ground a couple of times, his hands in his pockets, then looked up at me. Even in the bad light, I could see that his eyes were shinning, a small smile on his face. "Listen, I'm awfully sorry if I made you uncomfortable in the car. I'm just really used to girls jumping at me all the time-"

"Shouldn't it be the opposite?" I teased.

"Yeah, I guess," he laughed. "But really, I really respect that you aren't easy- Sorry, no, I meant that you didn't like go with what I was doing."

I laughed, wrapping my arms around his waist and setting my head on his shoulder and he hugged me back.

"Stay that way. Not jumping at guys and all," he said when we pulled apart.

"I will. And thanks again for taking me out. See ya at school Mark."

"G'night sweetheart."


	4. Chapter Three

Dad pulled up in front of the school, and I grabbed my backpack, opening the door and getting out.

"Thanks for drivin' me Daddy."

"Of course," he said, smiling. "But... I think your mother should go in with you to the office.

My hand rested on the door, ready to close it, and I just stared at him. "Why?"

"They're less likely to give you trouble if she goes in with you," he replied, and the look in his eyes told me that I shouldn't try and fight. They've already received enough phone calls from the school regarding my tardiness or me skipping class, so maybe Mom going in with me wasn't such a bad idea.

I led the way to the office, and the secretary looked up from her typewriter with a questioning glance and I walked in with Mom trailing behind. She started to explain how we were visiting family in Garyville and got back late so they let me sleep in. The secretary handed me a tardy slip, and I reluctantly headed over to class as Mom kissed my cheek goodbye and continued talking to the secretary about the various things happening around town.

xXx

Mr. Warren accepted the slip without batting an eye, and continued going on about functions as if there were no interruptions. I scanned the classroom, looking for Ponyboy, but he wasn't there, and headed over to the back row, sitting on the less battered of the two desks. Whispers followed me, and people, Socs and greasers and hoods alike turned to look at me as I put my stuff down. I ignored them, swallowing hard and wondering where my best friend was. Maybe he was just skipping school… No, Darry would kill him if he found out. Or maybe he got sick and had to go to the nurse's office or stayed home. Yeah… That seemed more reasonable.

I took out an envelope with my name on it, running my hand over the letters, sighing, and opened it.

_Hey Crystal,_

_It was really nice seeing you for the day, it's been such a long time since we last saw each other. I forgot how much I missed you. Ridding the horses, running through the fields under the sun, swimming in the river and walking in the woods. Damn, I ain't so good with words. But it was really nice seeing you._

_I hope I get to see you again soon._

_All my love,_

_Mason._

Along with the letter were a few Polaroids, and I looked through them, smiling softly. One that Mason took of the both of us in the woods, his arm wrapped around me and his lips pressed to my cheek, the sunlight streaming though the tree branches and lighting up our faces. Another of me on his brother Tex's horse Negrito. Me and Mace on his horse, my arms wrapped around his waist. Us in the river, splashing each other. Stuffing blueberries into each other's mouths.

The bell rang, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I carefully put the letter and pictures away, making my way out of the classroom.

"Hey grease," a Soc yelled when I went into the hallway. "Tell your nasty greasy friends that they're going to pay for what happened last night!" Someone shoved me and I fell to the floor, gasping as I heard loud laughter and as my hand got stepped on. I got up, rubbing my hand and wiping the traces of blood from an unhealed cut.

I made my way to the library for my free period, and the crowds of students became thinner as I got closer and the second bell rang. I was hoping that Ponyboy would be there, maybe with Johnny. Oh God, I hoped so…

Several pairs of highly polished shoes entered my field of vision, and I looked up, gulping as I locked eyes with Randy, a Soc that loves to beat us greasers.

"Hey grease," he said with an overly friendly voice. "You really aren't that bad lookin' for a greaser, you know. Pretty damn good lookin' if I can say so myself."

"What do you want?" I growled, clenching my fists as his friends laughed.

"Your friends fucked with the wrong people," he said, his voice still light and cheery, but the dark undertone is unmistakable. "You're going to pay for them."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, taking small steps backward and hoping that the fear in my voice wasn't all that noticeable.

"The fuck you do," he growled, "That little grease with the weird ass name and his quiet friend. They killed Bob last night."

I gave a startled gasp, stumbling, and they advance on me, cracking their knuckled. My hand automatically reached to my back pocket, wrapping itself around my switchblade, but they pounced on me, and I let out a muffled scream as my hand got squished under me. They had me pinned, one hand over my mouth, and I let out another cry as they started to slug me. Tears filled my eyes as they pounded my head against the linoleum floor.

"Oh my God, she's crying!" They laughed, punching me in the gut, and I heaved, sobbing, trying to break away.

"You're pretty, but you're a bitch," Randy snarled, slugging my cheek and taking out his blade. My eyes widened as I saw it, and I screamed into his friend's hand, thrashing and trying to break free. He lifted my shirt, and I couldn't help feeling violated, so violated…

Pain coursed through my body as he pressed down, running the blade from my left side to my stomach.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

One final kick, one final punch, and they took off, laughing and shouting at us. Every part of me was hurting, and I sat up, shrugging off my backpack and massaging my cramped hand, sobbing.

"Sh baby, its okay," someone hugged me, whispering soothingly, and I recognized it as Evie. "They're gone now, they ain't gonna hurt you no more."

After I cried myself out, Evie hugged me gently, kissing the top of my head and looked into my eyes.

"Why were they beating you baby?" She asked softly. Mark, Bryon and Sandy were crouched down besides us, concerned expressions on their faces.

"They said something ab-about Pony and Joh-Johnny ki-kill…" I couldn't bring myself to say the words, and hiccup, wiping stray tears away.

They exchanged glances and I looked from face to face, my heart pounding.

"Baby… Pony and Johnny ran away… and they found a dead Soc in the park this morning…" Sandy said softly, brushing my hair out of my eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I screamed, standing up. "Johnny didn't kill anyone!"

This was just one sick joke. Johnny would never kill anyone; he's too sweet for that. And Ponyboy would have done something to stop him if he ever was going to… There's no way that he would have killed anyone…

I looked at them again, and judging by the looks on their faces, I knew that they weren't joking.

I kicked a locker, biting my lip and trying not to cry again.

"We're having a search party tonight," Sandy said, wrapping an arm around me.

"I want my best friends back… This is just a sick dream…" I whispered, sniffing.

"Glory hun, you're a mess," Mark said, peering at me as I glared at him. "You should go to the nurse's office.

"I don't think that's too hot of an idea," Evie said. "If they find out that she ratted them out-"

"I ain't gonna rat them out cuz I ain't goin' to the nurse's office," I said stiffly, wiping my nose.

_Because that isn't what Dally would do… _

"We need to get you cleaned up though, we can't have you going to class like that," my brunette friend said.

Bryon glanced at me, pity written all over his baby-ish features, then quickly to Mark. "Alright then, I guess we'll see you ladies later…" Mark said. He looked at me, then strode over, putting two of his fingers under my chin and lifted my head up, then pressed his lips dangerously close to mine. "Get better little lady," he murmured, using my pet name.

xXx

The girls brought me to the nearest bathroom, and I let out a startled gasp as I saw my reflection. There was a small gash on my cheek, the beginning of a few bruises and a black eye, a bloody nose and a busted lip. The back of my head hurt like hell, and I raised my hand to it, but thankfully there wasn't any blood. I gently lifted up my shirt, which was starting to get soaked with blood, and I almost passed out seeing the length of the gash and bruises.

Evie and Sandy silently helped me clean the cuts, and they stopped the blood flow from my nose. The cut on my side was a bit of a problem, and in the end we cleaned it until the blood stopped flowing for the most part, then wrapped several paper towels kept together with tape around my torso. The t-shirt was a problem too, and the best way to solve the problem was throwing it away and putting on a light hoodie to cover me. I didn't look that bad, but I knew the following day my body would be throbbing with pain and not looking its best.

"Well, I look pretty…" I laughed weakly, feeling the lump in my throat growing again.

It was painful for me to go on with the day, and some of my cuts started bleeding again in class. The cut in my side burned; I was biting back moans of pain with every movement. I almost passed out in pain, and when the final bell rang at 3:15, I almost died with relief.

xXx

"Shit, Crystal!" I slammed my locker and glared at Steve, who had skidded to a stop in front of me.

"Yeah, I look pretty, now shut up, will ya?" I snapped, but let out a soft whimper as pain coursed through my body. He, Sandy and Evie glanced at each other quickly, then Evie and Steve wrapped an arm around my waist, steadying me. We walked out of the school slowly, to find Two-Bit talking to a couple of his friends. He ran towards us, seeing the condition that I was in, and my friends let me go to let him hug me. I yelped out in pain, tears stinging my eyes as he wrapped his arms around me, pain coursing through my body.

"Oh shit, Crystal, sorry!" I swayed on the spot when he let go, my head somewhat spinning, and Steve and Evie quickly put their arms around me again. "Who the hell did that to you?" He demanded.

"They said I was gonna pay..." I said softly, wiping my eyes. "They said that I was gonna pay nfor what Johnny and Pony did..." My voice got louder and shriller as panic began to overwhelm me, a small part of me still hoping that it wasn't true. "Please tell me that it isn't true! This is just some sick joke, right?" I begged, looking at each of them.

"Listen, why don't y'all head over to the DX and I'll get the little lady patched up," Two-Bit said. "Can you walk?"

"I don't think that it's too hot of an idea for her to walk," Evie said. "You got your car?"

"Yeah, it's out on the street though. Um... I'll got get it, I'll be back." He ran off and I sat down on the grass, tearing tufts of it out of the ground. My whole body was aching, and I leaned back onto Steve, who wrapped an arm around me.

"Why didn't ya use a blade?" He asked bitterly, and I flinched slightly at his words. "I know you have one, you shoulda used it!"

"And have her get more cut up and sent to the hospital? That would have been real nice," Evie said, sarcasm in her words.

"All I'm sayin'-"

"You ain't sayin' anything! Just be happy that she isn't hurt any more than she already is, gosh!"

He ran a hand through my hair, sighing. "I'm sorry Crystal. And I know that it was really unfair on your side of things, but damn, those Socs make me so mad!"

"Mmh." I shook my head. "Don't be sorry."

"They shouldn't have done that to you."

"Bastards." I whispered softly. "That's what they are. Bastards."

I laid my head in the crook of his neck and his grip around me tightened. They talked about school and Socs and rumbles and occasionally someone's name that I knew would come up, but I didn't pay attention for the most part. The bruises and cuts throbbed painfully; the only thing that I wanted were some strong painkillers and some sleep.

"Hey little lady, Two-Bit is back." Steve helped me up and I got into our friend's car, almost collapsing in the seat.

"So 7:30 at the Curtises?" Steve asked, leaning through the window.

"Yeah, you ladies coming?" Two-Bit asked, looking at me and the other girls.

"I am," Evie replies as I nodded. "I know how hard it must be for the boys, 'specially Sodapop, so the sooner we find them, the better."

"I... I can't..." Sandy said, and we all looked at her, shocked. I mean, she was Soda's girl, why wouldn't she help? "I have babysitting and I can't bail out... I'm really sorry..."

"Don't apologize to us, apologize to the brothers!" Two-Bit exploded. "You're Soda's girl, you know how much Pony means to him! Why can't you get a friend to cover for you?"

"I couldn't do that..." She whispered softly, and even though I wasn't in the best shape, I could sense something wrong with the tone of her voice. "Listen, I gotta go home and do some homework before. I... I'll see you guys later."

We looked after her, and I couldn't help feeling angry at her. That definitely wasn't the Sandy that I knew.

"Y'all are showin' up right?" Two-Bit demanded to us. "Not gonna go bailing out at the last second like her, are ya?"

"Yeah man, we'll be there," Steve said, taken aback at our friend's voice. "Listen, I need to head over to the DX before I'm in late. I'll see you guys later."

We said our goodbyes, going our separate directions. I leaned my head against the window frame, then realized we weren't going to the Curtises, but towards downtown.

"Um... Two-Bit?" I asked, snapping him out of his muttering about Sandy. "Where are we-"

"The park," he replied. "I just want to talk to you over there... But hey, who did that to you?"

"Socs. Apparently the same ones that were at the park with Pony and Johnny... They said I was gonna pay for what they did..."

"Goddammit," he muttered. "I fucking hate them, I really fucking do."

xXx

The rest of the ride was silent, something that was really unusual with my friend, who's always cracking jokes and talking. He finally pulled over, and we walked over to the kiddie area, sitting on the swings. From where we sat we could see the fountain, which still had some police tape around it and two lone policemen, taking notes and talking amongst themselves.

"So what happened?" I asked gently, swinging a bit.

"I'm kinda fuzzy on the details, but..."

He told me how he met Pony and Johnny at the Dingo, Dally had left just a few minutes prior to his arrival, and how they were sitting with two Socs named Cherry and Marcia that went to our school. They had talked a lot, and after the movie ended the boys started to walk the girls home, when out of nowhere the girls' boyfriends had appeared drunk. The boys started to pick a fight, but Cherry stopped them, and she left with Marcia. Two-Bit had taken Johnny and Pony to the lot, then went to Buck's to get blitzed. From what he had heard from the brothers, Darry had hit Pony because he had came home late, causing him to run away. Then he and Johnny ran to the park, where the Socs found them and started to beat them up. Johnny couldn't stand to see them beating up his best friend, and killed the Soc.

"Fuck..." I whispered. "Johnnycakes... But he's so sweet..."

I straightened my upper body, but quickly bent over again, biting back a scream of pain and feeling wetness around my stomach area.

"Crystal?" He straightened my body, and our eyes widened as we saw the huge red stain on the front of my hoodie. "Fuck, Crystal!"

He quickly picked me up bridal style and I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly as he started to walk away quickly.

"I don't wanna go to the hospital," I moaned. "Please don't take me there..."

"I ain't gonna take you there little lady, don't you worry about that," he muttered.

His mutterings grew fainter as he laid me down carefully in the backseat of his car; everything became fainter. The noises around me, the feel of the leather seat under me, the pain pounding through my body, until I finally fell under the spell of unconsciousness.

**Author's Note: Crystal got jumped D: And yes I realize that _Tex_ is set at least six or seven years after _The Outsiders, _but whatever. This is fiction :P Mason will make an appearance somewhere along the story. And should I make this a crossover even though the other characters are not very important?**


	5. Chapter Four

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright, so before y'all read this, just wanted to say I'm sorry if the ending sucks. I wrote it on my iTouch and... Blah. I might go back and revise it later. I might also revise a few other, more or less important things in previous chapters, but yeah. Sorry if this seems long also, I wanted to cut it but I didn't really know where I would. Anyway, enjoy :)**

"What the fuck happened to her?"

A loud voice brought me out of my unconsciousness; I recognized it vaguely as Dally.

"I got jumped by the Socs," I laughed weakly, opening my eyes despite the brightness of the sun, anything to be able to see him. His dark eyes hardened as he heard me speak, and he threw his cigarette to the ground, motioning for me

"Here, hand me to her."

I got passed from one pair of sturdy arms to another, smiling softly as Dally started to walk, asking Two-Bit what happened.

"Hey Dal, are we at the Curtises?" I asked, struggling to keep my eyes open.

"Why does it matter to you? You're safe, that's the most important. Now save your energy kid, you're already weak as it is."

I smiled softly and wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing in the scent of cigarettes, leather and some sort of cologne. Dally's scent. The scent of security.

The change of temperature, although faint, was a huge relief, and the pain pounding through my body seemed to somewhat go away along with the heat. Dal told Two-Bit to get some towels and a bottle of whiskey, and I wanted to tell him that then really wasn't the time to drink, but I couldn't muster up the energy to say so, and kept my mouth shut just like Dal told me to.

I heard the sound of a door creaking open, and was set down. I knew I was supposed to let go, but I didn't want to; Dally couldn't protect me if I let go.

"Sweetheart, you're gonna have to let go. No ones gonna hurt ya here," he whispered in a voice that I rarely heard him use.

"Promise?" I murmured, barely moving my lips.

"Promise." He repeated.

I let go, leaning back against the wall, opening my eyes. The light was not as strong, and I could see My friend crouched down in front of me, a worried look on his face... The same expression he had had when we found Johnny in the lot.

"Where does it hurt honey?"

"My head... My face... My arms, upper body... Everywhere..." My voice cracked and tears began to fill my eyes again. Dammit, I need to stop crying so much.

"Don't worry, they ain't gonna hurt you no more. I'm going to find them and beat the tar out of them and they're never going to hurt you anymore."

At that moment Two-Bit came in, holding a few towels and a bottle of whiskey, and Dally lifted me up again so Two Bit could set down the towel. Dally's hands went to the hem of the sweatshirt, and I jerked back, gasping, seeing Randy instead of him for a split second.

"I'm not going to hurt you honey, I need to take off your top if I can clean the cuts." The smell of leather, cigarettes and cologne immediately surrounded me, and I relaxed.

_Security. It's the scent of security. I'm safe..._

He took off my shirt and I tensed up, but looking into his eyes I didn't see any hunger for me. He and Two-Bit gasped as they saw the blood soaked paper towels, and I laid down on the towel, digging my nails into the palm of my hands as pain coursed through my body.

"Goddamn those Socs." Dally growled.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Two-Bit asked.

"If the cut isn't too deep or wide..." His voice trailed off, and then I heard the sound of running water, then the touch of it on my face. Dal cleaned my face and arms up. I heard the flick of his switchblade, wincing as he tore away the towels.

"Little lady, drink some of this," Two-Bit said as I opened my eyes, passing me the bottle of whiskey.

"I... I don't drink..."

"Just do it, you're gonna need it," he said softly.

I bit my lip, taking the bottle from him and held my breath, taking a swallow. The liquid burned my throat and I turned over, coughing violently. I already started to feel somewhat light headed, but the pain lessened too.

"You alright sweetheart?" Dal asked once I finished coughing and I nodded. He set to cleaning the blood around the gash that had started to bleed again, talking to Two-Bit, then grabbed the alcohol once more. "Okay, so it doesn't look too bad... I don't think you're gonna need stitches. It's gonna hurt a bit, but try not to think about it too much, will ya?" He didn't give me time to reply, and poured the liquid over my wound.

"GODDAMMIT DALLAS!"

That hurt more than when the Socs had cut me up, and I banged my fist on the tiled floor, my cursing easily rivaling Two-Bit's, a few tears leaking from the corner of my eyes.

"Glory, take it easy little lady, we don't want the neighbors to think something's up," Two-Bit said, the hint of a smile on his face.

"And just how the fuck do you want me to take it easy?" I screamed.

"Count, think of something, damn it, anything! Just shut your trap or I'm not gonna bother trying to fix ya up!" Dallas growled.

I glared at him, and started counting, hissing through my teeth as he poured the alcohol again. It stung like hell, but I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to have to wait until the rest of the gang showed up or to go home to get myself fixed up.

Dal cleaned it with some water, then took off his jacket and t-shirt, revealing a white wife beater, and tore it into strips. He got some medical tape, started to fix up a makeshift bandage for me, attaching it nice and tight. It still stung a bit, but now that it was cleaned up it hurt a lot less than before.

"Here." He helped me up into a sitting position and handed me his t-shirt. "You might need this since the other one is covered in blood and all."

"Thanks," I whispered, taking it.

"And God Almighty, don't scream so damn loud next time, will ya?" The hard look in his eyes was back, but he rubbed my hair and gave me a small smile, and I knew that he wasn't really mad at me. "You want something?"

"Two-Bit, can you call my parents and tell them that I won't be coming for dinner? Just explain about the search party and uh... If they ask why I'm not the one calling, just say that... I ate some caramel or something and it was really chewy and sticky and that I can't talk."

"Will do little lady," he said, smiling and winking at me before leaving the room.

I yawned, rubbing my eyes gently so I didn't hurt them any more than they already were. "Tired?" Dally asked with a smirk.

"Yeah." I yawned again and he laughed.

"Go to sleep, we'll wake you up when it's time to go, alright?"

He lifted me up, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, laying my head on his shoulder. "Thanks for fixing me up..."

"Don't mention it. And I mean it."

xXx

"Hey, Crystal, dinner's ready, you want some?"

I groaned, turning away from the voice, hearing some laughter. The mattress shifted, and I was pretty sure two people had sat down.

"Seriously Cryst, do you want to eat?" The person shook me gently, asking again and my stomach growled.

"Well, there's your answer!" I heard Two-Bit laugh.

"Fuck you," I said, getting up and rubbing my eyes with the palm of my hands. "Hi Darry."

"Feeling better little miss?" He asked in a cheerful voice, though I couldn't help not missing his wince as I sat up.

"I probably feel better than I look," I laughed. "Just a bit sore kind of everywhere, but Dal patched me up real good."

"That boy actually knows how to do something else besides getting into trouble?" He said, feigning shock and I giggled, nodding. "Glad to see you're doin' alright. Hey, Two-Bit, make yourself useful and get some ice for her, will you?"

Our friend nodded and went out of the room, still laughing and wiping away fake tears.

"Soda made spaghetti, meatballs and breadsticks," Darry said, helping me out of the bed.

"Pony's bed..." I murmured, feeling a twang of pain that had nothing to do with the beating that I had gotten.

"What?" Darry stopped in the doorway, looking at me quizzically.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "He didn't add any strange food coloring, did he?"

"Glory, I hope not," he laughed.

The sounds of music and television got louder as we got closer to the living room, and I heard a loud scream as I entered the dining room. A figure jumped at me, and we nearly fell to the floor as I lost my balance.

"Sodapop!" I yelled back, hugging him tightly.

"Steve and Evie told me what happened, are you okay?" He asked, pulling away but still holding me by the shoulders. "Oh my God, you look terrible! Goddammit one day we're going to get those Socs and they ain't never going to hurt us again. Damn, you need some ice. Oh good, Two-Bit made an ice pack for you. Golly, I sure am glad you're okay and didn't have to go to the hospital. Two-Bit told us about Dal's nurse skills-"

"I said not to mention that to anyone!" Dally yelled, coming into the room. "And don't hold on to her so tight, will ya kid?"

Soda let go, his cheeks turning pink, and I laughed. "Geez, sorry Crystal."

"Don't worry about it Soda."

"Dinner's ready y'all!" Darry called, setting down the last plate, and Steve and Evie came in, sitting down next to each other.

xXx

Dinner was pretty good, the spaghetti was purple and the breadsticks had a somewhat red taint to them, but other than that it tasted great. And of course, the chocolate cake. God, the Curtis' chocolate cake is amazing. By the end of dinner I was feeling better, both mentally and physically, and I leaned back into my chair, licking frosting off my fingers. We were deciding who I was going to be with for the search party, Steve, Evie and Soda were going to search our side of town, and Dally was going downtown, so it was the question of whether I was going with him, Darry or Two-Bit.

"Listen, I'll take her. She's gonna to be safe with me. No one fucks with Dallas Winston," he said, leaning on his chair and lighting a fag.

"No smoking in my house," Darry growled, putting out the cigarette on his plate. "Are you sure she's going to be okay? You're going downtown-"

"You can use my name ya know," I said, rolling my eyes. "And I'll be fine, I mean half the Socs are afraid of him. And with the police record he has-"

"Okay, okay," Darry interrupted. "So I'll be with Two-Bit and we'll go over to the outskirts of town. If any of you find them, just come back here, and if you don't... Well... Come back at 9:30."

xXx

Dally hopped out of Buck's Thunderbird, lighting another cigarette, and I followed him, a weight on my shoulders, with something telling me that we wouldn't find the boys. I leaned against the parking meter, setting my forehead on the cool steel, while Dal leaned against the storefront, puffing away. I lifted my head, looking at him, looking real tough with his leather jacket and cigarette under the streetlights, with the 'I-don't-give-a-fuck-about-the-world' look in his eyes.

"Like what you see honey?" He smirked when he caught me looking at him.

I don't know why, but suddenly images of Pony getting beat up by those Socs and Johnny when we found him in the lot filled my mind, and a surge of anger coursed through my body.

"How the _fuck_ can you just stand there?" I screamed, earning stares from passerby. "Our friends are fucking missing and you're just fucking standing there smoking!"

"Crystal-" He threw his cigarette to the ground and stepped away from the wall, but tears filled my eyes for the millionth time that day and I pushed myself away from the parking meter, running away.

"Godamnit, Crystal!" He called after me.

My legs were feeling numb, but I pushed myself forward blindly, tears pouring down my face as I screamed my friends' names. I could hear Dallas yelling behind me, but I ignored him.

"Pony! Johnny!" I stumbled, falling to the ground, scrapping my knees and crawled over to the alleyway, wrapping my arms around my body and crying. Panic was coursing through my body, and my breathing was coming out in ragged breaths. I felt like the world was closing around me, my chest was hurting, my heart pounding at a million miles per hour.

_Fuck, not now... No, no, no, no, no..._

"Crystal, don't fuckin' run off-" Dally came to a stop and saw me crying. "Fuck, are you..."

I wanted to reply, but my body wouldn't let me respond, I just bawled harder. I was trembling, and my chest was hurting from all the crying. He crouched down next to me, rubbing my back awkwardly, as I cried, and eventually the feeling of dizziness and panic left me, but tears were still leaking from the corners of my eyes as I chocked in ragged breaths.

"Damnit honey, look at me." I turned to him and the hard look in his dark eyes was gone, replaced with something that looked like pain. Even in the dim light I could see that his eyes were shinning, and the light glittered off something on his cheek.

"Oh, Dally, why-"

But I was cut off by him pressing his lips against mine. Those lips that tasted like cigarettes, chocolate cake and the air in the country after the rain. Those lips that tasted like security, warmth and a hint of danger. Those lips that told me that everything was going to be okay.

He pulled away, wiping away the stray tears on my face. All the panic and fear was gone, slowly getting replaced by a feeling of warmth, and I could feel the corners of my lips turning upwards.

"You're going to stop crying now, right?" He asked, but his tone of voice told me that he was worried about me, and maybe that kiss actually meant something.

"I'm okay," I whispered. "I'm awfully sorry that you had to see that... And that I ran away... I just miss them something awful."

"You don't have to be."

"What!"

"Calm down sweetiecakes," he said, using the nickname that I gained due to my love of sweets, cakes especially. "I know where they are."

That should have surprised me, but the use of his pet name for me and the kiss made me not so. I should have known that he knew something about their whereabouts.

"And they're safe?"

"You're not gonna ask where they are?" He said with a bemused grin.

"You aren't going to tell me anyway," I replied, poking at the hole in my jeans.

"How do you know?"

"Because you're Dallas Winston," I laughed.

He looked at me for a moment, then gave one of his rare, genuine smiles. "C'mere sweetheart." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him, and I laid my head on his shoulder.

We stayed there for a while, listening to the normal city noises: teens yelling, the occasional siren, music blasting from cars, honking, people fighting. People surrounded us, but we in our own world.

"Hey, we have an hour left before we have to head back to the Curtises, wanna go get somethin' to eat?"

"Sounds dandy," I smiled.

We walked around for about ten minutes before walking into a Dairy Queen, Dally ordering a double scoop of chocolate and fudge sauce, and me chocolate and strawberry with chocolate sauce.

"So you're sure they're safe?" I asked after fifteen minutes of silence, taking a spoonful of my frozen treat.

"Johnny is a smart kid, and with all those books that Ponyboy reads, they're gonna be okay. And I told them not to go off wandering around," he said, lighting a cigarette despite the 'no smoking' sign. "And I told the fuzz that they were headed towards Texa-"

"You got hauled in?" I exclaimed, almost knocking over the napkin dispenser.

"I get hauled in for everything that happens in our territory. But yeah, I told them the kids were headed towards Texas, and-"

"Excuse me, but smoking isn't allowed in here," a guy that I recognized from my Sociology class, tall, gangly, with really bad acne and thick, wire framed glasses said.

"It's a free country, I can do whatever the hell I want," Dally growled, his dark eyes turning hard. The kid gulped, backing away, and looked at me as if he expected me to say something, but I just gave him an apologetic smile. He turned away, sighing, and my friend smirked triumphantly, taking a drag of his weed.

"Nerd," he laughed, exhaling the smoke.

Something about him at that moment made something inside of me go screaming, and I twirled my hair around my finger, giving him the sultry smile that I've seen Sylvia and all those other girls give to him.

"You've got some chocolate sauce, right here." I pointed to the corner of my mouth, and he wiped at that area, but didn't see anything on his hand.

"No I don't, what are you talking about?"

"Yeah you do, right here," I said softly, leaning across the table and pressing my lips to his.

"Nice," he said, smirking as I pulled away. "You really can't resist me, can ya?"

I felt my cheeks burning, and for a second I wished that we were back in the alley so that he couldn't see, but it only made him smirk more. I turned away, looking at the door, and at that moment two Socs walked in. They looked really familiar, and I knew for sure that the guy went to our school, he was linerback on the football team and loved to make rude comments to me in the halls. The girl looked familiar too, with wavy blond hair, blue eyes, nice body, but I couldn't figure out where I've seen her. Her face was all made up, giving her the look of a Barbie doll, so that was probably why I didn't recognize her.

They noticed me looking at them, and the guy made a move to open his mouth, but then he saw Dal, and his face visibly paled. The girl looked in our direction, and her eyes widened. For a second, I thought that she was Sandy, but I quickly pushed that thought out of my mind, remembering that she was babysitting.

Dally was glaring at them, and I chose to return to my melting ice cream, stuffing in spoonfuls of the stuff.

"That girl looks awfully familiar," he said, putting out his cigarette on the table.

"That's what I was thinkin', we've probably seen her somewhere around town," I said back, licking some chocolate sauce off my fingers.

He didn't reply, and glanced at the Rolex that he had acquired from jumping a Soc. "Nearly time to get back to the Curtis', come on." He got up and I followed, looking back at the couple that was talking and laughing at a corner table.

"-a word to anyone, ya hear me?"

"What?" I looked away from them and back at Dally, who was frowning.

"I said don't ya tell anyone that I know where the boys are, alright? I don't want them to skin me alive." And I nodded.

xXx

The rest of the gang was already there when we arrived, sitting on the porch in silence apart from Soda's muffled sobs. We shook our heads when they looked up, and I saw that the hard, cold, hatting look in Dally's eyes was back. I sat next to him on the steps, listening to Steve trying unsuccessfully to get Soda to stop bawling.

I gasped as Dally pulled me into his lap, kissing my neck. I felt so guilty not being able to tell the boys where Johnny and Pony were, but he continued to nip and kiss my neck, and I almost let out a soft moan.

"We have to be sad, not do things to each other," I hissed.

"I wasn't doin' anythin' but kiss you," he smirked. I gave him a look, and got off his lap, laying my head on his shoulder and putting on the saddest look I could muster. It didn't matter though, everyone was in their own world. Soda's sobs eventually stopped, with just the occasional sniffle.

"Listen, I need to go now," Evie said softly, wiping away some stray tears.

"I need to go too," I said, taking my head off Dal's shoulder. "See ya guys..." I gave Soda a comforting sideways hug, and hugged Darry tight around the middle. He hugged back surprisingly, and gave me a sad smile. "Thanks for helping us look for them Cryst."

"Yeah..." I whispered. "See y'all tomorrow."

Evie kissed Steve one last time, and we started walking down the street, hugging each other outside my house. The lights were still on, and I hoped that I wouldn't get a bitching. Opening the door, I then realized that I had to make up a story for my facial injuries.

"Honey, is that you?" Dad called from the living room.

"Yeah," I called back. I heard the volume of the TV turn down and the shuffling of some papers, and started to run up the stairs.

"Did you find the boys?"

"Nope, no such luck," I said, trying to put some sadness into my voice, not turning around. "I'm going to head to bed now, I'm really tired."

"Why aren't you looking at me when you're talking?" He had his no nonsense voice, and I bit my lip, my mind racing.

"Daddy, I'm really tired-"

I was interrupted by the sound of his footsteps, and dashed the rest of the way up the stairs, but he caught me by the shoulders, turning me around.

His face paled as he saw me, and I diverted my eyes, looking at my shoes.

"What happened to you?"

"I got jumped," I whispered. "I don't wanna talk about it. I'll put some cream on the bruises. Daddy, I just wanna go to bed, okay?"

He let go of me, and I walked to my bedroom, closing the door. I waited until I heard his footsteps going back down the stairs, then went out to the bathroom and did my thing, brushed my teeth, washed my face and went back into my room. I leaned out the open window, glancing up at the clear night sky, wondering if Pony and Johnny were looking at it too, hoping that they were safe and warm. I turned away sighing, and changed into my black, silkyish nightgown. It was 10:13, and I really wanted to read, but my side was starting to hurt again, not bleeding thankfully, and my head was still somewhat pounding from all the crying and the panic attack that I had.

"Hey, Crystal!"

I quickly turned around and looked out my window, seeing Dallas on the ground, waving something in the air.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying not to be too loud.

"Figured you might be feelin' some pain still, so thought you might need this."

"What's 'this'?"

He shook his head, and started to climb up the tree who's branches were pretty close to my window. He went as close as he could without snapping the branch and falling down, then tossed me whatever he was holding. I missed, and it landed on my floor with a loud noise. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a bottle of strong painkillers, something that wasn't super cheap, and I smiled, looking out at Dallas.

"That ain't somethin' you wanna take by the handful," he said. "One or two should do."

"Thanks Dally," I said. "Just for everythin'... I'm serious."

"Yeah, well..." He shrugged, and I could tell that he was uncomfortable. "I guess I'll let ya go to sleep then, or whatever you're gonna do." He turned away, started to go down, then glanced at me again, smirking. "Nice nightgown by the way sweetiecakes."

I looked down, realized how low cut it was, and back outside to make a remark to him, but he was gone. I closed the window, shaking my head and sighing, then popped two painkillers, smiling softly.


	6. Chapter Five

**So this is pretty damn long... I really can't help myself. I hate doing this, but I've been getting emails saying that people have added this to their Story Alerts and Favorite Stories, so that must mean I'm doing something right, but I'm not getting any reviews. Not that it matters, I'm not one of those authors that won't post without reviews, but anything you have to say about this story would be helpful. Anything. You hate how I put too much dialogue, there's grammar mistakes, characters are OCC. ANYTHING. And just before you read, I have nothing against The Beatles or hippies; I love them both. Enjoy :)**

I rolled over as the bright sunlight hit the center of my eyes, groaning softly. My side was still softly throbbing, but the pain was less considerable than yesterday. It had bled a little during the night, and I think that I could take off Dal's bandaging.

I got up, trying not to rub my eyes too hard, and went to my vanity, expecting the worse in my reflection. I had a black eye (the other one was slightly swollen), a couple of small cuts, and my bottom lip was also swollen. God, I'm going to need a lot of makeup to hide those.

I went downstairs, having freshened up and dressed in a blue plaid shirt and somewhat tight light-wash jeans, and managed to cover up the worse of my injuries. Mom set down a plate of waffles in front of me, examining my face.

"Did you put any ice on those?" She asked softly, and I couldn't help but smile a little. She never asked why I got hurt or anything if I came to her needing help, or if any of the guys needed patching up. She learned that after Michael came home when he was fourteen and was jumped, it resulted in a yelling match between the two because he didn't want to say the real reason.

"Yeah," I replied, but she still didn't turn away.

"I don't want you walking off by your lonesome, okay?" Dad said, setting down his paper. "Two kids got sent to the hospital last night because one of them got jumped and the other because he was trying' to save her. And by the way, your mother and I have a company dinner to attend to in Oklahoma City, so we're going to be leaving at five. Both of you be civil to each other, alright?"

The question was mainly directed to my brother, who just nodded and continued dipping his toast in the syrup. My parents exchanged a worried glance, and I directed my attention to my waffles, an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

xXx

I dug through my backpack, getting out a pack of mints and popped a couple, then put on my black Converse, running down the stairs. I could hear my mother and my friends laughing in the kitchen. Dal winked at me when I came in, and I gave him a small smile, leaning against the table.

"So I'm just standin' there, all tired and hung over, and the delivery guy is starin' at me all wide eyed, then drops his package and runs off. And that's when I realize that I'm butt naked!" He doubles over laughing, slapping his knee, and I shake my head, biting back a laugh.

"Don't ya scar my mother greaser," I said, slapping him playfully. "She doesn't need any mental images of your, uh... _Best friend_."

Dally snorted at my choice of words, and Two-Bit's cheeks became slightly tinted. Mom scolded me, then wrapped me in a hug and passed me my lunch.

"Aw, Crystal still gets a lunch from her mommy!" Two-Bit laughed as we made our way out.

"Who's that sandwich from then?" I asked, pointing to the one peeking out of his backpack's pocket and waving to Mom.

"None of your business," he said a little too quickly, and me and Dally laughed, going towards school.

xXx

We walked mostly in silence for a few minutes, Dal smoking cigarettes with me taking the occasional drag, and Two-Bit kicking a rock down the street, until we got to Johnny's house. It was quiet, probably because his parents were passed out.

_If you can even call them parents_, I thought as I leaned against the fence. _They're so abusive towards him; they don't give him the love that he needs._

"I wish I knew where they were," Two-Bit said, leaning against the fence too.

"I heard somethin' about them headin' towards Texas," I said absentmindedly, but then I quickly gasped, realizing what I said and took a step away from the fence. Dally shot me a dangerous look and Two-Bit looked at me with wide eyes.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothin'! I didn't say nothin'!" I said, my voice shaking, but he knew I was lying. I made to run away, but he tackled me and we crashed against the pavement. He sat on my chest, locking my arms by my side and I struggled to break free.

"Two-Bit, let go!" I cried, trying to loosen his hold.

"What did you say about Texas?"

"It was just something I heard, I swear!" I'd never seen him like that, his eyes with a slightly crazed look and his mouth set in a thin, hard line.

"Mathews, get off of her," Dally growled, pulling Two-Bit off of me. I sat up, rubbing my wrists, and glanced at my friends. Dally's mouth was set in a frown, and Two-Bit was looking at me, the look in his eyes disappearing and turning into shock.

"Glory, Crystal, I-"

"Shut your trap and listen to me, will ya?" Dal said, his voice about as cold as his eyes were. "When the cops hauled me in yesterday, I told them the boys were headed towards Texas-"

"Why the hell are we not going there?" Two-Bit yelled, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "I'm just gonna go get my car and-"

"Man, he ain't finished talking," I said, rolling my eyes.

"And ya better not tell anyone what I'm going to tell ya, because I don't want to get skinned alive by the Curtis brothers, but I know where the boys are. And yes they're safe. So don't go drivin' off to Texas cuz they ain't there." He finished with a drag of his cigarette, looking off in the distance.

"Where are they then, if they aren't in Texas?"

Dallas stared at me, giving me a hard look. "If I tell y'all, you're going to keep your trap shut, right?"

I looked down at the sidewalk, watching a couple of ants go by, my cheeks burning. "I'm awfully sorry Dal."

He shook his head, looking at the house, then east. "Windrixville. Yeah. Small town so I don't think they would have heard about the murder." He lit another cigarette, then handed one to me and Two-Bit. Two-Bit lit his cigarette then tossed me the lighter.

"I'm real sorry about tackling ya kid," he said, running a hand through his long, greasy hair. "I don't know what the hell happened, I just-"

I shook my head, smiling softly, but in truth I was kind of freaked out about what had happened, since I got jumped by those Socs yesterday. "It's okay man, don't worry about it."

Dally looked at me, cocking an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You plannin' on stayin' there all day?"

I was puzzled by what he meant, then realized that I was still sitting on the sidewalk. "Uh, no." I made to get up, and he stuck out his hand, pulling me up. But I didn't follow them as they started to walk again. Dal looked behind him, seeing me still standing in front of Johnny's house, and I could tell that he was starting to get a bit impatient.

"What the hell are you doing kid?"

"I don't really wanna go to school," I said, taking a drag of the cigarette. "I don't wanna see those Socs again." I tried not to let my fear show in my voice. I knew that they would probably leave me alone, but the news of Johnny and Pony was already all over town, according to the boys last night, so there was no knowing if they would have another go at me.

The boys grinned, and Two-Bit punched my arm. "Feelin' rebellious, huh Crystal?"

"Aw shut up," I said. "Do ya think Steve and the girls are at school already?"

Dally glanced at his watch and shrugged. "It's nearly eight. There's a chance they could still be drivin' there, but they're prolly there."

"We can run there in ten minutes before they head off to class. Y'all are coming, right?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but Dally answered first. "I need to talk to Crystal actually. Y'all can meet us at the lot."

Two-Bit looked surprised, but he shook it off. "Alright, we'll see ya in half an hour or somethin' like that."

Dal wants to talk to me? What the hell about? I hope that he isn't going to just my ass about accidentally letting it slip that I had a vague idea where the boys were and that they were safe and all.

I snuck a glance at him, but he didn't really seem mad. He was just smoking and walking like he owned the world. We made our way to the big oak tree, setting ourselves under the shade.

"So you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah." He took a drag of his weed, not elaborating. He wasn't really good with words in general, and when it came to touchy or intimate subjects or whatever, he could hardly talk.

I found a small twig and started digging a hole in the dirt, tearing away at the grass. "Dally?"

"Yeah?"

"What am I to you?"

He looked at me, a weird expression on his face, and put out his cig on the trunk of the tree. "Why do you ask that?"

_Because we've been fooling around for the past two years even though you've been on and off with Sylvia and fucked so many others between her and me. Because you were ready to beat up my brother when he saw us nearly kissing. Because you kissed me last night when I was crying, and you didn't push me away when I kissed you in the Dairy Queen. Because you've done a hell lot for me. Because... Because..._

"Just wondering." I said softly.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had an odd expression on his face, and he avoided my eyes. "I... You... Cryst, I care about ya like I care about Johnny, maybe in a more different way because I wouldn't kiss him, but I care about ya an awful lot."

"That doesn't answer my question," I said, a little rougher than I intended, and he snapped his head towards me, his eyes dark.

"What the hell do you want me to say then?"

The words were out of my mouth before I could think. "Am I your girl or not? Because now that you're done with Sylvia for good..." he continued staring at me, and I hastily added, feeling the embarrassment rising. "If you don't consider me your girl, then whatever. The foolin' around is gonna stop if I'm not, I can just go find a guy that loves me."

Pain flashed through his eyes briefly and he quickly looked away.

"You've always been my girl," he said, running his hand through his hair. "I mean, yeah, there's been other girls, but you..." He cursed, hitting the ground. My heart was pounding, and I still kept my eyes on him. "You're the only one that I really ever cared about."

He looked at me quickly, then away. I swallowed hard, the palms of my hands sweating. I didn't need to be inside of his head to know that it took a huge deal of energy to say those words. He hated saying stuff like that.

"So I'm officially your girl now?" I asked softly.

"Yeah, you can say that."

I took his hand, the one that he had his ring on, and he looked at me. I smiled softly, and he returned it, but I could see the hint of a smirk behind it.

"Ya know, that kiss yesterday, if you hadn't been cryin', shoulda been the one in your bedroom, before your brother came in."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

I got onto his lap so I was straddling him, still holding his hand. For once, his eyes were soft, a soft, warm chocolate brown, not cold and full of hatred. I pressed my lips to his softly, smiling knowing that I was finally his. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders as he put his around my waist, pulling us closer together. The taste of cigarettes and toast mingled with the smell of cologne, filling me with an emotion of happiness: it was all mine. He let go of my hand and put his on my ass, cupping it softly, making me moan and allowing him to slip his tongue into my mouth. I was on top, but he was the undeclared dominating one. He wrapped his tongue around mine and pulled away, and began sucking on it lightly, a muffled moan escaping my lips. We pulled away and he kissed me again a last time before I laid my head on his lap and he stroked my hair.

"Tell me a story," I said as he took out another cigarette.

"What?" He looked at me like I was off my rocker, and I repeated what I said, smiling. "I don't know no stories."

"Something from your childhood. Anything."

He was silent for a while, and I thought that he was ignoring me, because no one tells Dallas Winston what to do, but he started talking again.

"When I was in New York, my teacher took us to a trip at the zoo. Me and my friends thought it was pretty lame, but we went anyway. We walked around for a little while, until I got separated from them, and then I found myself at the petting zoo," he stopped, taking a long drag of his cigarette and looking just the slightest bit uncomfortable. It must have been years since he's thought of that. "There were horses there, ponies. The lady saw that I was lookin' at them, and asked me if I wanted to ride one of them. Man, it was pretty fun. I got the pony galloping and everythin', even made it jump over a couple of barrels lyin' around. My teacher found me finally, and made me leave, but I never really forgot that moment. I went back again a few times, and when I came back here, I started doin' rodeos and jockeyin'." He looked at me and poked my cheek with the butt of his cigarette, and I swatted it away. "Your turn for a story."

I thought for a minute, thinking of something that would be the slightest bit entertaining, but couldn't really think of one, and settled on something that happened several summers ago. Pony was seven, I was eight and Johnny was nine. We were all at the Curtis house, me and Pony's parents on the front porch, and us kids in the living room, jumping around, watching television and doing somersaults. I got the smart idea of doing a backwards somersault on the couch, and ended up hitting my head on the corner of the coffee table. The parents heard the crash and ran inside the house to find me and Pony bawling, because he thought that I was hurt real bad. There was no visible bleeding, but I got some ice and a scolding to never do that again. However, during dinner, Pony screamed and pointed to the back of my t-shirt, where there was a bloodstain that was slowly spreading. I got sent to the hospital, where the doctor said that there was no real damage, and sent me off happy with a bottle of ice cold lemonade.

"You must have a pretty thick skull darlin'," Dally laughed, hitting the side of my head. I sat up, fake hurt written on my face. "Come on sweetheart, you know I don't mean it that way."

"It still hurts though," I said, putting my hand over my heart.

"I'm sorry," he said, smirking gently, before cupping my face in his hands and pressing his lips to mine roughly.

"Glory," I gasped, pulling away for a second before kissing him again. I ran my hands through his hair, trying to pull him closer as his went to my lower back and ass. His tongue ravaged mine, and I couldn't help letting out a few moans, but I was too into the kiss to care. He laid me down on the ground, supporting his weight with one hand while the other went up and down my side, occasionally pinching me. We broke for air, gasping, and he kissed me back with such vigor that I couldn't help bucking my hips against his. He pulled away, his eyes glazed over, and he growled, kissing my neck and sucking on the tender skin, teasingly grinding his hips into mine.

"Oh!" I arched my back, wanting more. I dug my hand into his dark hair, pushing his head closer to my neck.

"FINALLY!"

We broke apart, but he kissed me again one final time, biting on my lip gently. There was a slight possessive look in his eyes, and he wrapped his arm around me tightly. Our friends were bouncing over to us, grins pasted on their faces.

"Y'all are finally together, about fucking time!" Two-Bit said, plopping himself on the grass next to Dally. The latter's eyes narrowed and hardened as our friend spoke, and the other couple sat down in front of us.

"What do you mean, finally?"

"Well it was quite obvious that there was something goin' on between you two," Two-Bit laughed. "I mean, every time you would get back with Sylvia, Crystal would like avoid ya for a few days, ya know? And we saw both of ya sneakin'-"

"Two-Bit, if you wanna live any longer, shut up," I said, feeling Dally tense up and knowing that he would explode if Two-Bit kept going on. "Where's Sandy by the way?"

"She said she had some tests that she couldn't miss," Evie replied, her head on Steve's shoulder. "I don't know what she was talking about though, because she never mentioned anything earlier. She's been awfully weird and secretive lately."

I thought back to the couple at the Dairy Queen, and glancing at Dally I knew that he was thinking the same thing. He shook his head slightly when he saw me looking at him, and I cast that thought out of my head.

"Yeah, she yelled at Soda for some really stupid reason the other day," Steve said, his eyes hard. "Glory, you would have thought that she caught him with another girl."

"They've been going at it a lot lately," I remarked. "I mean, remember somethin' like two weeks ago when he asked her if she wanted to go out with him because she's been really busy so they haven't really had a lot of alone time, and then she got all defensive?"

"Gosh, I hope things get better..." Evie whispered. "I mean, with Pony gone now, if they're going to be fighting, it's going to tear the poor boy apart..."

"It ain't any of our business," Steve said, a bit harshly. "Soda's me best friend, yeah, but it's his and Sandy's relationship. If he needs our help, he'll ask, but we should just keep out of it for the moment."

We ended up staying in the lot for about an hour, maybe more. We sat there smoking and talking, until Dal suggested we go downtown. Evie and I jumped at the idea, and a look of regret passed through his face, and the guys tried to persuade us not to go, but we ignored them, and ran into Steve's car.

xXx

"Y'all better not drag us into girly stores the whole day," Dally grumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets, and the two other boys agreed.

"How about a few girly stores?" I asked, wrapping my arm around his waist and sticking my hand in his back pocket. He jumped at bit at my touch, his eyes narrowing slightly, but there was the hint of an amused smirk on his lips.

"How about none?"

"No can do," I said, standing on my tip toes and kissing his cheek.

xXx

We couldn't afford most of the things in the stores, even if they were on sale; we didn't have much money anyway. Steve swiped a bracelet in one of the stores and gave it to Evie, and she almost made him go put it back until she saw the price, and decided that if he tried to put it back and got caught it wouldn't be worth the risk. We started to head back to the car, because we were getting more to the Socy side of town: the streets were getting cleaner and the stores were more high end. But a store display caught my eye, and I grabbed Evie's hand, stopping her. It was one of those high class designer stores, with clothes that we wouldn't be able to afford in a million years. The mannequin was wearing a nicely cut, double breasted jacket with two pockets on the front bottom and black trim, and a slim skirt with a golden chain and the zipper on the side. It was pink, a color that didn't really appeal to me, but they probably had different colors.

"That's hell Socy," Steve said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"You'd bang a Soc if y'all had the chance," I said. "Come on; let's go see how much it costs."

The bell jingled when we walked in, and a twenty something year old lady looked our way. She had that snobby look to her, with every strand of hair in its place and perfectly applied makeup. She was wearing a suit similar to the one in the window, and I could see others on display behind her in various colors, a light grey one in particular.

"Can I help you ladies?" She put on a tone of voice that made me think that she obviously thought she was superior to us.

"How much does the suit in front window cost?" Evie asked, trying to keep her voice light.

"It just came in last week, it's one hundred dollars," she replied with a smile.

"Oh!" It would be months before we would be able to afford it. "Well, thank you..."

We walked outside back to the guys who were smoking and talking. Steve wrapped an arm around Evie, kissing her cheek. "How much?"

"One hundred," she said, and we both looked at the outfit with longing. Dallas must have caught the look in my eye, and put an arm around my waist.

"Don't worry about it sweetiecakes. C'mon, let's go to the record store and then go visit Mister Car Mechanic."

xXx

_People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)_

_Just because we get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)_

_Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)_

_I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)_

I stopped when I heard the song playing. We all did, even Dally. The same memory has running through our minds. One of the first times we heard that song, we were at the DX, all of us, getting ready to close. It was a hot summer night, and we were going to head to a party after.

_The radio was on, blasting at full volume, and we were there, singing and dancing and laughing, when My Generation came on. That song really spoke to us: people try to put us down. Pony and Johnny were a lot more loose than usual; all of us were full of laughter, even Dally and Darry._

_**This is my generation**_

_**This is my generation, baby**_

_I was dancing with Two-Bit, laughing, and as he twirled me around, I saw Dally running his eyes over my body, halfway listening to Darry talking. I winked at him when he saw that I was looking, and he nodded, a small smirk on his face, almost a smile, but I continued dancing with my friend. Sandy and Evie were sitting on the counter, talking to their boys who were tidying up the place and laughing together. Pony and Johnny were leaning near the magazine stand, holding nearly empty Pepsi bottles, their lips moving, but I knew that they weren't talking._

_"Y'all are singing!" I exclaimed happily, breaking away from Two-Bit. I skipped over to them and grabbed them by the hands, ignoring their startled looks, dragging them to the middle of the place. "Come on guys, sing!"_

_"Aw Crystal, really?" Johnny asked, his cheeks turning slightly darker. Dally was looking at the boys with an amused smirk; in fact, we were all looking at them. Pony hung his head, looking at the floor, and I glanced at Two-Bit. He wrapped his arms around their shoulders, making them lift their heads up._

_"Come on guys, next verse we sing all together," he said laughing._

_**Why don't you all f-fade away (Talkin' 'bout my generation)**_

_**And don't try to dig what we all s-s-say (Talkin' 'bout my generation)**_

_"Aw yeah!" I laughed as Pony and Johnny's voices started to get louder. Shy smiles were making their way onto their faces as they sang, and little by little everyone's voices joined in._

_**This is my generation**_

_**This is my generation, baby!**_

_Two-Bit screamed the last part, and I fell into Dally's arms, laughing. He wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my cheek quickly. Hound Dog started, and I swear that the grin on Two-Bit's face got bigger. He started singing even louder, and the two younger boys sang along with him, laughing every other word. It was one of those rare times when we were all together and getting along, having fun and no huge worries._

I looked up at the others, and saw that Steve had a pained expression on his face. Evie was talking quietly to him, her fingers gently caressing the back of his neck, but he shook his head, closing his eyes.

"The last thing I ever did was cuss out the kid," he said, his voice hard and bitter; but he wiped angrily at his eyes. "He could be de-dead for all I know! And Johnny..." His voice cracked and he shook his head again, his body trembling. I was shocked; I'd never seen Steve like this.

"Steve, man..." Two-Bit said, but Steve turned on his heel and ran.

"Shit..." Evie's eyes were shining and her lower lip was trembling, and she ran after him. Dally's eyes were hard as he watched them go away, and Two-Bit looked like he wanted to run after them too.

"Come on, they'll come back," Dal said gruffly, taking me by the hand and into the record store.

I looked at the records, taking note of the ones that I wanted to add to my small collection, the ones from artists whose names caught my eye. I was still thinking of Steve though; I'd never seen him like that except for once, but he didn't know I saw, and both times scared me. I tried not to let it worry me though, and tried to concentrate on the song playing, _She Loves You_, probably the only song by The Beatles that I liked.

"Oh, Ricky Nelson!" I picked up the record, my heart thumping. Man, I had the biggest crush on him, and the boys gave me hell for it.

"You ain't gonna ditch me for Nelson are ya now?" Dally said from behind me. See what I mean?

"Of course I'm going to ditch you to have sex with a record," I said, rolling my eyes, but I clutched it close to my chest. "I wish I had the money to buy this..."

"Give it here darlin'." He took it out of my hands, and I gasped, turning around to him.

"Wha-"

"Don't make a fuss about this," he grumbled, "Anything else you want?"

"Um..." I looked around a bit more, and came across_He's A Rebel_ by The Crystals. The song was one of my favorites, and the album had some others that I loved too. "I want this!" I thrust the album into his hands like a little kid, and he gave me a weird look before cracking a smile and rubbing my hair. We made our way to the cash register, where a guy with a tie-dye shirt and rather dirty hair rang up the purchase. Probably one of the flower children or whatever you call them; those kids who smoke weed and never take showers and are all about peace, those kids that have been popping up recently. Man, I hope our school won't become infested with them, and I sure hoped that I wouldn't become like them. Yuck.

Two-Bit was already outside the store, a rectangular lump under his jacket. I shook my head, smiling, and we began to walk towards Steve's car. He and Evie were leaning against it, their eyes slightly red, but we didn't say anything.

"Another Ricky Nelson record?" Steve laughed, and I glared at him.

"He's very talented, thank you very much," I huffed, and Evie gave me a small smile. A stray tear leaked from the corner of her eye and I wiped it away with my thumb, trying to smile, trying not to spill out that I knew where they were and run to Darry and Soda and tell them that their brother was okay. Jesus, how long was I going to keep this in? What if the boys never turned themselves in and they had to live in that church forever until they died, and no one besides me, Dally and Two-Bit knew they were there? What if I accidently let it spill that Dally helped them run away in front of the Curtis brothers? Sodapop would probably never speak to me again because I kept it from him and he and Darry would skin Dallas alive!

"Crystal, breathe!" Evie was shaking me, and I snapped out of my thoughts, gasping. She had a worried look on her face; they all did.

"Cryst, you okay?" Two-Bit asked softly, putting my hair out of my eyes.

"Yeah... Yeah..." I whispered, feeling my cheeks heat up. God, I hated being like this in front of people. I hated it.

"Come on, let's head to the DX," Steve said, scratching the back of his head, a nervous look in his eyes.

xXx

We got out of the car, leaving our stuff in it. Steve took pulled on his DX shirt, and made his way into the small building, where Soda was at the counter.

"Hey guys," he said weakly, trying to smile when we walked in, and my stomach dropped at the sight of him. His smile didn't reach his eyes, his hair was disheveled. His normally dancing eyes had a worn out look to them; they were bloodshot and he had purple bags under them.

"Oh Soda..." I whispered. I clutched Dally's hand, and he let out a low hiss as I dug my nails into his skin.

"Don't fucking tell him anything," he growled as I walked towards Soda.

"I'm sorry Sodapop," I said softly, hugging him.

_I'm so sorry that I'm keeping this from you... I'd tell you if I could, really I would..._

"It's okay sweetiecakes," he said, wrapping his slim arms around me, pulling me close and trying to laugh, but it failed. I pulled away, and saw his eyes brimming with tears. He tried to smile through them, but a sob escaped his lips, and he hugged me again, crying. I rubbed his back softly, whispering soothingly, but feeling my own eyes fill with my own tears.

Soda sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. Evie handed him a tissue from her purse, and he blew his nose, crumpling up the tissue and throwing it into the trash.

"Man, I'm sorry guys," he said, his voice hoarse. "It's just that-"

"Don't be sorry," I said firmly. "We'll find them, trust me."

"Thanks Crystal," he smiled softly, and a car honked outside. "Y'all are staying the afternoon?"

"Probably," Two-Bit shrugged, reading a magazine sideways.

Soda caught a look of the magazine, and let out a small laugh before going outside. I walked over to Two-Bit, Dally now peeking over his shoulder with a smirk on his face, and looked at the magazine.

"Aw, really?" I screamed. "You guys are gross!"

"You've seen my bedroom, it's littered with this stuff," Two-Bit laughed, turning the page.

"But do you really have to read _Playboy_ when I'm here?" I whined.

"It was on the magazine rack, why not?"

I rolled my eyes and went out to the garage. James, one of the other guys who worked at the DX, was fixing up a car and talking to Steve. Or at least he thought he was talking to Steve, he and Evie were making out against the wall.

"Jesus Christ," I muttered, turning away.

"Crystal, that you?" James said, rolling out from under the car. Steve and Evie jumped apart, and I giggled. "Damn, you weren't listening to a word I said, were ya Stevie?" He said, fake hurt written on his face.

"Um..."

He laughed, and wiped the oil off his face, getting up. "How are ya Crystal? And Michael, how's he doing?"

"Michael's fine," I said, but here must have been an edge to my voice because James narrowed his eyes.

"Something happened between ya two."

"Nothin' important."

James and Michael were buddies, and James treated me like a little sister. They go to rodeos sometimes and drag racing together. He was probably Michael's only friend that could stand me.

"Listen, if he hurt you-"

"It was just a small fight," I said, harsher than I intended, because Steve and Evie were looking. They knew that we had fought, but they didn't get the full details.

"I'll talk to him if you want."

I sighed, crossing my arms. "He won't listen to you."

"I'm not looking at the magazine anymore, can I get a kiss?" A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around me, and soft lips touched my cheek. I turned around, cupping his face, and pressed my lips to his. I heard a muffled gasp, and knew it to be James.

"Don't go looking at that shit when I'm around," I said, poking his cheek.

"_Playboy_?" Steve asked with a smirk, and Dally nodded, laughing. James was looking at us with a serious expression, and I knew what he was thinking.

"That's was he got mad about, right?" I nodded, but he didn't ask any more questions, just went back to repairing the car.

xXx

The afternoon was slow, and we talked and laughed, but the fact that Soda wasn't his usual self put a damper on the mood. I left the DX at 3:30, and Dally decided to walk home with me.

"What are you going to do the rest of the afternoon?" I asked, leaning against the side of my fence.

"Catch up on some sleep probably, then go over to Buck's," he shrugged. "Why ya goin' home so early though?"

"Parents got a dinner in Oklahoma City, wanted to see them before they head off. I mean, it is a long drive."

"So I won't see you until tomorrow then."

"Nope." I looked into his eyes; there was a sort of sad look in them. I grinned, and stood up on my tiptoes, then kissed him. "I'll see you tomorrow Dally. Like I see you every day."

He smiled, and pressed his lips to my cheek. "See ya sweetiecakes. Tell your parents I say hi."

I nodded and walked up to my front door. My hand on the doorknob, I turned around, and he waved at me, smiling. I waved back, then went inside.

"Crystal? Come here please," Dad called from the living room.

_Aw shit…_

I walked to the living room, where my parents were sitting on the couch, dressed in their evening clothes: a nicely cut, salmon colored dress and a matching pillbox hat for my mom and a black suit and tie for my dad. They both had on matching frowns, and they were crossing their arms. I set my backpack and purchases down, sitting down in the armchair, and ran the speech that I would give in a minute through my mind.

"We got a call from the school saying that you didn't show up. Care to explain?" His voice was hard, hard and cold, and for a second I imagined Dally saying that. Maybe something different, but with the same tone of voice, and I couldn't help feeling all the guilt boiling up.

"I really didn't want to go to school!" I threw the speech I had somewhat prepared out of my mind and felt the tears filling my eyes. "I didn't wanna get beat up again! I'm sick of having people yell things at me in the halls; I'm just as good as them, I have every right to walk down the halls and the streets! And now Pony and Johnny are missing and Two-Bit and Steve or the girls aren't in any of my classes and I hate sitting alone and having people laugh at me and throw things at me! I just ha-"

"Sweetheart, calm down," Mom said, alarmed. "Listen, we'll deal with this tomorrow, but if you wanted to miss school because of that you could have told us. No, you need to stop missing school so often. We're going to have to go to court if you continue on like this," she got up and hugged me, and I wiped the tears off my cheeks. "Your brother is going to be home soon, and please act civil with each other, please. There's some steak in the fridge that only needs to be reheated, and then you can make pasta. Dad and I are going to be back around midnight, and I want you in bed by then. Okay?"

I nodded, and hugged my parents, watching them go out into their car and off the street through the window. Tonight sure is going to be fun.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter is finally up :) Sorry if it's long and maybe useless, but this is what I had planned for a while :) Reviews appreciated and happy holidays!**

It was 10:07 and I was still dressed, lying on my bed and reading. I had taken a shower, but dressed right back into a skirt and a blouse, not wanting to change into my pajamas. Dinner was a quiet affair; Michael had started drinking a bit but not too much. I hadn't heard him come up the stairs since I came up after washing the dishes, but I occasionally heard him laugh; he was probably on the phone with someone.

"Get your ass down here Crystal!"

I sighed, and set down my book. What the hell could he want? There's only so much you can ask of your younger sister at ten in the evening.

I went downstairs, and found him in the kitchen, empty beer bottles on the table. He was definitely drunk. His eyes were slightly out of focus, and the room reeked of cigarette smoke and alcohol.

"What do you want?" I stop in the doorway, crossing my arms, refusing to get closer. I'd seen too many people who weren't happy drunks, and Michael wasn't a happy drunk. He made a come hither motion, but I shook my head, pushing away the fear that was building up.

"Come here you little bi... Bitch," he said, slurring slightly, his eyes turning dark, and I shook my head again. He stood up suddenly, knocking over a couple of the bottles to the floor, and I winced as they shattered. I took a few steps backwards, startled, but he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, and I let out a small cry. He slammed me against the wall, and I felt my stomach lurch. "You fucking listen to me, alright?" He growled, and I turned my head away, not wanting to breathe in his breath. "You and Winston, it ain't gonna last long. He's a player, he fucks girls, and then he throws them away. He ain't doing that to my little sister. Ya kn-"

"Dally would never do that to me!" I screamed, trying to pull away from him, but he slapped me, shutting me up. I glared at him through my eyes that were rapidly filling with tears, and he smirked, holding on tight.

"Yeah he would. I've seen him at Merril's place; makin' out with se-several girls a night and fuckin' them in his room. Now my friend Sam, he just broke up with his girlfriend," his grip tightened as I struggled to break free, "nasty little skank. Cheated on him with some Socs; I think they paid her to do it. Anyway, he's comin' over in a few, and he really needs something to bring up his spirits. He's out pickin' up a girl for me, so I won't be botherin' you two. He's much better than Winston, you'll see." He threw me down, and my head hit the wall. I looked at him with a glare, then got up, feeling the rage building up. I went over to the table, picking up an empty bottle by the neck. "You're drinkin' now?" He asked, slightly shocked. I didn't reply, and held it in a firm but loose hold, just like Tim Shepard does, then swung it across his face. He fell to the floor with a grunt, and I staggered back with a gasp. I just made my own brother pass out. I just hit my own brother with a bottle.

"Shit..." I fell down to the floor, shaking. My heart was pounding against my chest and I felt like it was going to burst out of it. A feeling of nausea ran through my body and I clutched my stomach, trying to stop my teeth from chattering. I've seen things like this before; Johnny after he had gotten jumped was a lot worse, and I'd seen how Tim Shepard got that scar of his, but somehow this was worse. My brother. I fucking smashed a beer bottle on my brother.

I tried to get up, but my legs wouldn't let me. I needed to get out before he came around and before that sick friend of his got here. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts...

_With his back to the rapidly fading sun, Dally stroked my cheek, a small smile on his face. I smiled, biting my lip, and leaned back on the hood of the car. He pressed his lips to mine, going soft and slow, and I could feel his smile on top of my lips._

…

_Pony threw another match into the fire and leaned back against the broken down couch, rubbing his hands together, then looked up at the sky. "Sure is awfully clear tonight," and Johnny and I nodded, muttering in agreement. The stars twinkled in the dark sky, almost looking like miniscule diamonds. I smiled, closed my eyes, and leaned my head on Johnny's shoulder. He tensed up for a moment, but relaxed, and wrapped his arm around me protectively._

…

_"Come on Crystal, dance with me!" laughed Two-Bit, taking me by the hand into the middle of the Curtis's living room as __**The Twist **__started to play. The whole gang was there, and so were Patricia and Darrel, and they watched and laughed as Two-Bit spun me around in circles, dipping me as the song came to an end. He bowed and kissed my hand, and everyone burst into applause as I curtsied._

My breathing started to slow down, but the room was still spinning.

_I entered the high school gymnasium, clutching Mark's arm. It was full of students, and the music was on at full blast. __**Peppermint Twist**__ was playing, and I was bobbing my head to the beat, and Mark saw. _

_"Care to dance?" He asked, smiling. I nodded, and he pulled me out onto the dance floor. We were one of the only middle school couples out on the floor; our school and the high school decided to allow eighth graders to the Homecoming. Dally was supposed to take me, but he got put in the cooler. I think he was secretly glad though, because he hates these social activities. I spied Two-Bit chatting up some blondes, and he gave me a thumbs up as Mark twirled me around. I giggled, and Mark held me by the waist, smiling._

_"Having fun?"_

_"Yeah, thanks for taking me," I smiled._

I was starting to breath at an almost normal pace, but my heart was still pounding at an impossible rate and my head was starting to hurt.

_I jumped into Steve's car before Soda could, and stuck my tongue out at him, waving my hand through the window._

_"Hey, Soda's shotgun, get in back if you wanna ride," Steve said, pointing behind him._

_"Aw, I don't wanna go in back! You always put me in the back," I pouted. Meanwhile, the Socs were in their car, revving their engine and telling us to hurry up._

_"God, fine," he sighed. I squealed and clapped my hands, and he gave me a death glare, so I shut up, but I had a huge smile on my face. Soda, Dally and Two-Bit were in back, and when the Soc girl shouted at us to go, we shot off, the screams of the onlookers and the music blasting from our radios filling our ears. Two-Bit was desperately trying to flick his lighter, protecting the flame from the wind so he could light a firecracker. He managed to get one lit, and stood up, his voice nearly inaudible with the wind rushing in our faces. "Take that you Socs!" He yelled, throwing it at their car, slowing them down as they had to swerve to avoid it blowing up on their tires. He let out a loud whoop as the firecracker let out a loud bang, and I stood up too, holding on to the side of the car, laughing in the wind._

…

_I sighed as a small breeze passed by, relishing the cool air on my hot skin. Soda glanced at me, and smiled softly, then reached his hand out towards mine. I took it, and scooted closer to him. He frowned for a second, then took his hand out of mine and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and took my hand in his other. I had snuck out of my house around midnight, and me and Soda have been out on the roof since two, talking about everything and nothing. Specks of gold began to fill the sky, and we watched the sunrise in silence, the golden and orange rays peeking through the tree branches, giving everything a magical look. _

_"Hey Soda?" I asked as the sky started to turn more blue than gold._

_"Yeah sweetiecakes?" His voice sounded tired, but he squeezed my shoulders and I could hear the smile in his voice._

_"I love you."_

_"I love you too darlin'."_

My body was trembling like crazy even though my breathing was somewhat back to normal, and I put my head in my hands, trying to control my body.

_I looked at the Ferris Wheel with wide eyes. To my ten year old self, it looked so much higher than sixty feet. Soda, Steve and Two-Bit, along with some girl, were already on it, and Ponyboy and Johnny were waiting in line; I was the only one who wasn't in line._

_"Hey little miss, why aren't you in line?" Darry appeared behind me, with a couple of his friends a little ways behind him, laughing and talking._

_I clutched the stuffed bear that he had gotten me before he went off to join his friends. "It's really high." _

_He looked at me for a couple of seconds, then cracked a grin. "I'll go with you."_

_"Really?" I stared at him with wide eyes, but didn't feel scared anymore, and smiled and giggled as he nodded. "Thanks Darry!"_

_"Of course, let me just tell my friends I'll meet them later." He walked over to them, and they laughed for a little while before walking away. Darry came back to me and took my small hand into his, smiling. "Come on little miss."_

…

_"Oh my gosh there's an Elvis poster in here!" squealed Evie as she flipped the magazine sideways to see the rock star better._

_"Forget Elvis, there's Ricky Nelson in this one!" I showed the magazine to them and we all freaked out, giggling. Empty pop bottles and bags of munchies surrounded us, along with various makeup items, hairbrushes, magazines and our clothes that we had carelessly tossed aside when changing. It was two AM and we were still full of energy._

My body had finally returned to normal, and I got up, still supporting the wall in case my legs decided to fail me again. There was a small pool of blood around my brother's head, but he was still breathing.

_I need to get out of here._

Less than five minutes later I was out the front door and running hard down the street. I made up my mind to go to Buck's, because that was where Dally would be. I didn't want to bother Soda and Darry, Evie was out with Steve, and Two-Bit... Actually, I had no idea what Two-Bit was up to. But to Dally it was.

My lungs started protesting after a while, but I was only ten blocks away from Buck's. It really wasn't the best part of our neighborhood, already we don't live in a good part of town, but I slowed down to a walk, breathing hard. I put my arms around my body, holding my switchblade up the sleeve of my leather jacket. The streets were empty for the most part; a lot of people were in bars, I could hear the drunken laughter and the muffled music. Occasionally someone would come stumbling out, swearing at someone inside the bar.

I was almost to Buck's; I could see the building, just two blocks away. In front of me there was a group of five guys, all older than me, smoking, drinking and talking loudly. As I got closer, I could see that they were all built the same way: slim, tall, with dark greased back hair and hard eyes. They were slightly hunched over, but they looked like they had the agility of an alley cat if they needed it. They called out nasty things to me as I walked by, but I tried to tune them out.

"Hey baby, I don't like it when you ignore me," one of them called out in a rough voice, but I ignored them, walking faster. "Hey, don't you fuckin' walk away!"

I heard the pounding of feet and started sprinting harder than I had before, hardly hearing them yelling behind me. I was fucking terrified. If they got a hold of me, they could do so much worse things than if I was one of the boys. I could get raped and beaten, and left in an alley or a Dumpster until someone found me. The thought made my heart skip a beat, and I stumbled over, hearing their laughter and yelling get louder. I screamed.

"BUCK!" I cried as I came into the parking lot. "BUCK!"

I pounded on the front door desperately, crying and screaming as the boys came closer. One of them got hold of me, shoving his hand in front of my mouth and grabbing me by the waist, pulling me away. I kicked on the front door, trying to break free of his grip. It opened, and Buck stood in the doorway, his eyes slightly glazed over, but they widened as he saw me. He was holding a beer bottle in his hand, and I flinched as he smashed it over the head of the guy holding me. It was enough to let him release me, and I dashed inside, hiding behind Buck.

"What the fuck man?" The biggest one snarled at him, and made to go inside, but Buck blocked the way, his eyes hard. He flipped something out from the waistband of his pants, and the guys backed off, staring at the heater in his hand.

"Leave her alone. Next time I see y'all on my property I'm calling the fuzz, y'all hear me?" His voice was rough but steady, and they glared at him. The one who had gotten the bottle smashed on his head was clutching it, and I could see a hint of fear in his dark eyes as he stared at the heater.

"Jesus, we just wanted a bit of fun..." Another said harshly, but they started to leave, throwing hard looks at me and Buck. Buck closed the door, and I broke down in sobs, crying loudly. He cursed loudly, and led me to a small back room that was empty, sitting me down in a chair. He must have stayed with me, because when I stopped crying a tissue was thrust at me, and I took it, blowing my nose.

"You're Kantor's kid sister, right?" He asked.

"I'm turning sixteen in January!" I shot, trying to rid my voice of any fear. He sighed.

"What the hell were you doing out this late alone?"

An image of my brother lying on the kitchen floor, and I let out a muffled gasp. "I... He... I kinda hit Michael with a beer bottle. He's passed out on my kitchen floor now," he looked at me with wide eyes, and I let my own down. "Please don't tell that I'm here, please. I just wanted to see Dallas."

He looked at me for a few seconds, trying to process what I said, then spoke. "I won't tell him that you're here if he comes. But if he finds out that you are here, I have nothing to do with it. And don't try to cause any more trouble, last thing I need is the fuzz comin' and shuttin' me down for having minors here." I nodded, and thanked him quietly, getting up. "Hey." I turned around and he tossed me a pack of cigarettes. "Looks like you need one."

I went to where the pool tables were, and found Dally drinking and playing a game with some tuff looking guy. There was a girl, obviously drunk, hanging over Dally and kissing his neck, running her hands over his cheeks, and I felt a flare of jealousy rising up. He wasn't responding positively to her advances, but then again he wasn't doing anything to push her away. I took a hit of my cigarette, looking at the boys playing.

"I win again Williams, pay up," Dally smirked, sticking his hand out.

"Fuck you Winston," the guy growled, taking out some money from his pockets and handing it over to Dally. He pocketed it, grinning, and then girl smiled, licking her lips, and whispered something in his ear, putting her fingers in the waistband of his jeans.

"Jesus, I ain't interested in anything you have to give to me," Dally said roughly, pushing her away. She huffed, and flipped her hair, then walked away, looking annoyed. The guy, Williams, looked at Dally with raised eyebrows and a slight smirk.

"Pushin' away a broad that willingly wants to go somewhere with you? That don't seem normal man."

"I don't feel li-What the fuck are you doing here?" He noticed me against the wall, and I put out my cigarette and threw the butt on the floor.

"You don't want me here? I suppose I'll just walk back home and get beaten by my idiot brother and basically get raped by his friend if some assholes don't find me first on the way!" I screamed. People looked my way, but it didn't bother me like it usually did. Dally's eyes were hard with anger, but behind them there was a hint of shock.

"Crystal, I-"

"You want me to leave? Fine goddamnit!"

"Crystal, shut up and listen to me!" He yelled, grabbing me by the shoulder as I turned to leave. My body was shaking, and I could sense that my temper was boiling up.

"Winston, another game or ya gonna leave?" Williams asked, leaning against the pool stick.

"What does it look like I'm going to do?" Dally snapped, pulling me out of the room, and up the stairs to his bedroom, nearly dragging me. When he slammed the door to his room, the music and shouts were muffled, and he turned to me, his eyes blazing.

"What the fuck?"

"I hate it!" I cried, kicking the wall. My heart was pounding, but I didn't feel a sense of panic or fear overtaking my body. "I fucking hate it!"

"Hate what?"

"I don't know; everything!" I threw my hands in the air, feeling lost. "I just fuckin' want to get out of this town, go somewhere where I can have a normal family and a normal life without worryin' about my life! You know what happened before I came here? My brother was drunk and his friend was on his way over to basically rape me, so I smashed Michael's head with a beer bottle because he was saying all these things about you and I just couldn't stand what he was saying. I had a panic attack because I knocked him out, and then I ran out of the house to get away, and I hoped that you could protect me if he ever found me. Then on my way here these guys started sayin' these things to me and checkin' me out, and nearly got a hold of me but Buck saved me before they could do anything but now that you know I'm here it looks like you don't want me here!"

"Whoa, calm the fuck down!" His eyes were blazing, and he was pacing the room, then stopped in front of me, "I never said I didn't want you here, but you know how much I hate it when you walk out on the streets this late without one of the guys! And I was just wonderin' why you were here dammit."

"Would you have rather had me stay home and wait for my brother to wake up and beat the shit out of me, and then get raped by his friend?" I snapped.

"Of course not! I just fuckin' said that I hate it when you walk alone during the night, not that I didn't want you here!"

"I don't want him to find me and I'm afraid of what my parents are going to say," I whispered, hanging my head and feeling bad for yelling at him, knowing that he didn't deserve it.

He frowned, and wrapped his arms around me. I laid my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. I hated fighting and hurting people… Sure, if I was provoked, I would defend myself; but what I did to my brother kind of scared me.

"If he somehow finds out you're here, I'll protect you," he said, squeezing me. He moved my head gently with his hand, and brought our lips together. The taste of alcohol kind of bothered me, but a feeling of warmth passed through my body.

Someone knocked loudly on the door, and Dally pulled away, a growl low in his throat.

"What do you want?" He demanded, throwing the door open. Buck stood there, looking slightly intimidated by my boyfriend, but spoke.

"One of those guys you hang out with just called; he sounded pretty angry and told me to tell you to call back as soon as you could."

"Who was it?"

"Stared with a D... Can't remember the name... He has two younger brothers I think you told me-"

"Darry," I said softly, and they both whipped their heads towards me.

"Who?"

"Darry," I said louder, a feeling of dread overcoming the warmth. I had a feeling that the reason he called had something to do with my brother...

"Yeah, that's the one!" Buck said. Dally cursed and sent Buck away, then turned to me.

"You stay here, I'm goin' to call him and see what's up."

"If it has anything to do with Michael, then I have every right to be there when you make the call!" I crossed my arms and glared at him, feeling just the slightest bit like a little kid

"You can get so fucking childish, you know?" he said, but dragged me downstairs. I looked vaguely at the people as we went down to the phone.

"Come on, pick up the damn phone," Dally hissed. He glanced at at me, and pulled me close to him.

"Hey, Darry, it's Dallas, what's up?" I leaned closer, trying to hear Darry over the noise of the music and shouts.

"-brother just left, how's Crystal?"

"She's fine; she's right next to me. She seemed a little shaken up, but otherwise not hurt."

"Okay, that's good. You keep her safe, alright? Don't let her brother or his sick friend get near her; they're drunk, dangerous."

"Do you really think I'd let them get near her?" Dal asked harshly.

"Just wanted to be sure. Alright, well stay safe."

"Aren't I always?" Dal winked at me, and I giggled.

"Is that Crystal?" his voice sounded surprised, and Dal handed me the phone.

"Hi Darry."

"Are you okay? Your brother and his friend just came by and tried to pick a fight with us because they thought that we were hiding you; they-"

I didn't want to hear anymore. "I'm awfully sorry Darry, but he was just being such an asshole and I couldn't take what he was saying to me..."

"It's fine Cryst, don't worry about it. Soda's just a bit shook up, but he's been different since..." his voice trailed off, and he coughed. "Yeah, I'll just go now. I'm glad you're safe. See you tomorrow little miss."

"Night Darry," I hung up and looked at Dally. He was surveying the scene; his mouth set in a hard line, and then he turned to me suddenly, startling me.

"Come on; let's go up before your brother gets here." He started walking back upstairs, shoving people out of the way and literally picking others up so we could get through. He slammed his bedroom door behind him, locking it, then turned to me. Well, the room. I was standing in the middle of the small area, and the floor was littered in various clothes, beer cans and bottles. He frowned, and kicked the clothes under the bed, and set the alcohol bottles on the dresser and in various drawers.

"Is this how you clean?" I asked, trying to hide a smirk.

"Shut up you," he said, but walked over and stood in front of me.

"What if I don't want to?" I gave him a sultry smile and twirled my hair around my finger.

"I'll make you."

"How-" but I was cut off by him pressing his lips against mine. His touch was rough and urgent, and I adjusted myself as he sat down, curling my legs under me and wrapping my arms around his neck. I let out a soft moan as he bit down on my lip before breaking away to take a breath, but he kissed me again, slipping his tongue into my mouth. He set his hands on my hips, pulling me closer to him, until I was nearly sitting on him.

"Fuck," I moaned as he pulled away and began kissing and nipping at my neck. His hands went to the hem of my shirt, and then I realized that I still had on my jacket. "Wait."

I got up, averting my eyes, but could feel his gaze on me. I zipped down my jacket and took it off, then began slowly unbuttoning my blouse. I could hear his breathing beginning to get more labored as I slid off my skirt, and I finally locked eyes with him. His were dark with lust, and I went over to him, straddling him. "You're fuckin' gorgeous, you know that?" he asked, his voice thick with arousal. I bit my lip, feeling my cheeks heat up, and shook my head. "Yes you are." His hands were set firmly on my hips, and he brought me closer to him, grinding me against his crotch and kissing me. A moan escaped from my lips when I felt his erection so close to my innocence, and I ran my hands under his wife beater and over his chest. Our breathing was getting harder and we pulled away so I could take off his shirt. He began kissing my neck, sucking and biting as I bit back moans.

"You like this baby, don't you?"

"O-oh, y-yes Dally," I moaned as he thrust his hips against mine, sucking on a spot on my neck that was particularly sensitive. His hands went to the back of my bra and he kissed my shoulder. I was about to take it off when someone started pounding on the door.

"WINSTON, OPEN UP!"

I gasped as I recognized the voice and hastily put my bra and blouse back on, rapidly buttoning it up. My brother knocked on the door repeatedly, demanding that Dally open it. Dally handed me my skirt and hissed at me to get under the bed, and grabbed a half empty beer bottle, taking a sip out of it. I watched anxiously from under the bed, only seeing the guys' bottom halves as Dally opened the door, the music and shouts getting louder as he did so.

"Kantor?" Dally put on a rough voice with a slight hint of surprise. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"You know damn well what the fuck I want Winston!" my brother shouted. Besides my brother's legs I saw another pair, and gulped, knowing that they probably belonged to that friend of his.

"No, I don't," Dally snarled. "Can you just tell me what the hell you want? I was kind of gettin' ready to go to bed and you just come here with your friend and fuckin' barge in!"

There was the familiar sound of a fist against skin, and I saw Dally stumble, the bottle falling from his hands and smashing against the hardwood floor, its contents spilling everywhere. "My sister! Where is she?"

"Why would I know where she is?"

"You're fuckin' hiding her!"

"No I'm no- hey, no, what the fuck?"

My brother lunged at my boyfriend, and I put my hands over my mouth, biting back a scream. Michael punched Dal square in the jaw, and I got out from under the bed as Dally wrapped his hands around my brother's throat.

"NO!" I screamed, feeling my eyes getting wet. "Stop it! Please, stop it!"

The boys detangled themselves from each other, breathing hard. Both of their eyes were dark, but even in the dim light I could see that Michael's eyes were full of rage, and so were Dally's, but his were also wide with something else; like he was silently screaming at me what the hell I was doing out from under the bed. I could see that Michael had a slight gash on his forehead, dried blood on it, and felt a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"You're fuckin' coming home with me you bitch," he spat, advancing towards me. Dally stepped in front of me and pushed him away with a growl, wrapping an arm around my waist tightly. He made to say something to my brother, but I spoke first, just a simple word.

"No."

His eyes bulged slightly, and his face began to darken as he spoke.

"What do you mean no?"

"I mean that I'm not going to go home with you!" I screamed. "You don't treat me like your sister; James does a better job at that! You don't respect me; you've treated me more like I was a little brat instead of your family. You fuckin' called your friend so he could basically rape me," I pointed over to his friend, who was leaning in the doorway, arms and legs crossed; a tall, slim guy with thickly greased back hair. "And you know what? You can just go on the fuck home back to Mom and Dad and tell them that I'm staying over here with Dally, because I'm not going back with you. You can tell them exactly why I'm staying here. And if you ever, ever hurt me again in any way, I'm telling them about Alice."

His eyes widened at her name, and he snarled at me. "Fine, I'll fucking go home. And you know what? You're right. I always thought that you were a little brat, and I never fucking loved you. For all I care you can get jumped and rape-"

"You shut the hell up and get out of here!" Dally yelled. "Leave Crystal alone and if you ever hurt her again I'll find you and beat the shit out of you until you're fuckin' unrecognizable, alright?"

Michael flipped us off and left, muttering under his breath, and slammed the door behind him. I stood there, stunned, my mind slowly processing the reality of Michael's words.

_I always thought that you were a little brat, and I never fucking loved you…_

I had just said that I thought that he thought I was a brat because I was mad at him, but I guess he really did think it… And that he never loved me… I thought that just because of the age difference he hated having to drag me along with him when Mom and Dad couldn't get any of my friends' parents to watch over me. But times when his friends had made fun of me and pushed me around came to mind, and I realized that never once he had defended me. No, he always let them push me around…

"Crystal?" Dally's voice was soft, and he shook me by the shoulder gently. "Crystal, are you okay?"

"He doesn't love me," I said. My body was becoming numb, and my vision was blinded by tears. I had screamed at him and hit him and punched him and even beat him up the other day, but I still somewhat loved him. "He doesn't love me," I repeated, wiping my eyes hurriedly.

"Oh snap, come on," he tried to make his voice as happy as possible. "Your parents love you, and so does the gang. Evie and Sandy love you. And you said yourself that James cares and loves you like a sister. Crystal, baby?"

I was sobbing silently, my body shaking. Michael doesn't love me. I had loved him, even though I didn't really show it at times, but I really did. It hurt so much to hear those words coming from my own brother.

I tried to stop crying; I had cried way too much during these past few days, but what just happened hit me really hard. Dally rocked me gently against his chest, running his hand through my hair.

"Don't worry sweetheart, everything's going to be okay."

I stopped crying after a while, my sobs becoming just the occasional sniffle. I pulled my head away from Dally's chest, and looked at him. He had a pained expression on his face, and hugged me tightly. "I hate it when you're sad."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," he tilted my chin and pressed his lips on mine for a few seconds, then pulled away. "Who's this Alice girl?"

Alice… I haven't seen her for almost a year, not since what happened between her and my brother. I took a deep breath and was about to start the story, when someone knocked on the door.

"God fucking dammit, what do you want?" Darry spat as he wrenched the door open to reveal Buck.

"Phone again, for Crystal."

"Who is it?" I asked, wiping my eyes.

"Your mom."

My eyes widened and I dashed downstairs, pushing past couples and drunken underage and college kids, going to the phone. Buck was behind me, and led me to the phone in the same back room that he had taken to me to earlier in the night, and handed me the phone that was sitting on a table.

"Mom?"

"Crystal, your brother just came back and told us what happened!" her voice sounded distressed, and like she had just been crying.

"Yeah, not so fine, is it Mom?" I said, a bit harsher than I intended.

"Please come home baby, we can talk this over," she begged.

"Talk this over? There's nothing to fucking talk about! He called his friend to come over and basically rape me, and then he gets into a fight with Dally and then tells me that he thinks I'm a brat and that he doesn't love me? What the fuck is there to talk about?"

"Don't scream at me in that tone! You know what; I had to give your father one of his shots because he couldn't believe what happened! We just asked you and your brother to act civil towards each other for a few hours, and then there's this whole mess going on now!"

"He's the one that started everything!"

"You hit him with a beer bottle!"

"Because his friend was going to come over to take advantage of me Mother! He was going to rape me! R-A-P-E. You know what that means right?"

"We'll talk this over when you come home," her voice was sad again, broken. I felt my heart break, but shook my head.

"There's not going to be any talking because I'm not going home tonight! I don't want to see Michael's face, alright?"

"Crystal, please…"

"Goodnight Mother!" I slammed down the phone onto the receiver, and buried my face in my hands. Fuck, I probably just ruined my relationship with my whole family now.

"Everythin' alright?" Buck asked from the doorway, a bottle of beer in his hands.

"Fan-fuckin'-tastic," I muttered, walking past him. For the first time that evening, I noticed that Hank Williams was playing at top volume and groaned, but went upstairs. I felt a headache coming on, and made a mental note to ask Dally if he had any aspirin. Said boyfriend was leaning in the doorway, talking to a tall, lean guy with short but greased back dark hair, who I recognized as Tim Shepard.

"Hi," I greeted quietly as I walked up to them. Dal wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him.

"Hey Kantor," he said, and nodded over to Dally. "So this is the new chick?"

My cheeks heated up real fast, and Dal nodded. "Yeah. She's pretty bad. Hates fighting, but defends herself pretty well if she does. She's cool."

"You're turnin' eighteen soon, her parents are parents cool with that?"

"Since when are you the one to worry about ages?" Dally laughed, punching Shepard in the arm.

"It's Dally anyway, I don't think my parents would mind too much…" I said. "I've known him since I was a kid."

"Dallas Winston, with a police record a mile long, dating an ex soldier's daughter?" Tim feigned shock. "Impressive!"

We laughed, and I fought back a yawn, covering my mouth. Dally noticed this, and asked if I wanted to sleep.

"Yeah," I nodded, "do you have any aspirin, by the way?"

"You're asking me? What person who loves alcohol doesn't have aspirin at hand?"

"Two-Bit."

That was true. He's came over to my place more than once just for aspirin, and the Curtises had to replenish their stock every couple of months thanks to him.

He waved me off. "Whatever. See ya Tim," they fist bumped and Tim nodded at me.

"See you little miss, Dallas."

He went off and me and Dal went into his bedroom, locking the door behind us. I took off my blouse and skirt again, folding them neatly and set them on the dresser while Dal went to the bathroom. He brought me two pills and a beer bottle that he reassured me was water, and flicked off the lights. Light still streamed in through the small crack underneath the door, and the moon's light shone in through the window. I crawled into bed next to him, laying my head on his chest and closing my eyes, while he wrapped an arm around me protectively.

"G'night sweetiecakes."

" 'Night Dally."


End file.
